Never Easy
by CruorLuna
Summary: Horatio is worried about Yelina and Ray Junior. His nephew trusts him, but Yelina's resisting. How much can he do to help? And Horatio may soon have other demands on his time... Slight NY xover. **Hiatus over - now updated!**
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters in CSI, CSI:Miami or CSI:NY (just in case I do feel the need to crossover later, I'm covered now :P). If I did, certain people wouldn't have gotten on planes, and certain other people wouldn't have moved to London. Absolute nonsense. Let's fix that right now, shall we?

**Author's Note:** This is my first ever CSI fic, so I'm sorry if the characters seem a little out of character!! I've changed the timeline slightly - the Felony Flight/Manhattan Manhunt (miami/ny crossover) episodes happened at the same time as the Yelina/Rick storyline, ish. In my fic Horatio is just back from NY, and there might be a little bit of a crossover in later chapters, I'm not sure yet. The story will have some romance in it eventually, but I don't promise when! So yeah, I appreciate any feedback, good or bad, and constructive criticism is welcome! The rating is only really M because of the Yelina/Rick think - right now it's not bad at all, but I don't want to restrict myself, so later on it will probably require an M rating, so this is me covering all the bases. There may be some sexual content later.

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_His hands slid under her blouse and blazed fiery trails up her back as he held her against him, his lips hot on her own as she returned his passion. He pulled his mouth roughly from her own, kissing a line along her jaw and down her neck as she fumbled with his shirt, breathing heavily as he backed her up against the wall. A low moan escaped her lips as his lips found a particularly tender spot just at the hollow of her collarbone, and his hands travelled confidently upward …_

Yelina Salas sat bolt upright, gasping for breath and blinking rapidly, trying to force her eyes to focus. She let out a long, slow breath as she recognised her surroundings at last – she was in her bedroom. A quick glance at the clock on her bedside table told her that it was just approaching six o'clock in the evening, and a look outside confirmed that it was, as usual, a lovely evening in Miami. Yelina sighed heavily as she stretched and climbed from her bed, picking up various articles of clothing from where they had been discarded on the surrounding carpet. Dressing quickly, she pulled her hair out of her face into a loose bun in order to cool her down a little, and then she leant heavily against the wall next to her bedroom door. She could hear him downstairs, banging around in the kitchen with pots and pans and heaven knew what else. Her boyfriend Rick. Well, she supposed that was what she should call him – she had never had strong feelings for him, really, but she had agreed to one date, mostly to make Horatio jealous.

Horatio. Yelina brought a hand to her temple and shook her head despairingly, trying to shake thoughts of the older man from her mind. It wasn't Horatio she was dating, nor was it he who was downstairs making her dinner at this very moment. No, it was Horatio who was her late husband's brother, and it was Horatio who she had recently discovered to have a daughter of his own, of whose existence Yelina had been kept in the dark despite having trusted the man implicitly. And yet, still it was Horatio who occupied her dreams.

She had tried to fight it, tried with every bone in her body, since Raymond died. It was wrong for her to have these feelings for her brother-in-law, for Ray Junior's uncle. It was an insult to Raymond's memory to fantasise about his older brother, to whom her husband had always felt inferior. Had she fed his fears by having these secret thoughts about Horatio even then? When Raymond was alive, she had only had the dreams once or twice, on occasions when Raymond had been away working for weeks and months without making contact, and Horatio had come around to support her and help her with Ray Junior. She had convinced herself that it was just a ridiculous notion she had taken because he was willing to be there for her in ways that Raymond couldn't – or, she sometimes suspected, wouldn't – be, and that she was displacing her emotions for her husband onto his brother because of this. But even now, some four years after Raymond's death, having gotten to know Horatio better, she still thought about him more than was healthy in a more than platonic sense, for the wonderful person he was in his own right.

"Hey, sleepyhead," Rick said with a smile as Yelina entered the kitchen a few minutes later, having composed herself again. She forced a smile onto her features, knowing it didn't quite reach her eyes, and stepped towards the stove.

"What can I do?" she asked, hoping he would give her an important task. She wanted to fix whatever it was he had made. Rick was a sweet guy, and he tried really hard, despite all the walls and obstacles she put up, and all her baggage, but if he had one fatal flaw – except the fact that he wasn't Horatio – it was that he couldn't cook, and he didn't know it. She didn't have the heart to tell him, of course, because he really was so kind, and he went to so much trouble to make her happy. She often wished she could offer him a true smile for his efforts, because she really did appreciate them, but it was futile. It was just impossible for her to fake emotions she didn't feel.

"No, no, I'm spoiling you tonight," Rick smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. That was what Yelina had been afraid of – everything _á la Rick_. "It'll only be five minutes, so why don't you call Ray to wash up, and I'll do everything else?"

"All right," Yelina agreed, too guilt-ridden to refuse him when she knew how much he wanted to please her. She detangled his arms from around her and slipped through the door into the garden, expecting to find Ray Junior playing out there, possibly with some of the neighbourhood kids. But he wasn't there. It was surprising, but not a problem for her. She assumed he had gone in to play video games, and so she took the path around the exterior of the house, re-entered through the front door, and peered into the living room just in case. Not finding him there either, she ascended the staircase and knocked quietly on his bedroom door.

"Ray?" she called softly. No answer. "Ray!" Knocking louder provided her with no response either, so she opened the door and stuck her head in – to an empty room. Yelina blinked in surprise, looking around her and into the corners of the room to be sure he wasn't hiding. Nothing. Her heart beginning to race ever so slightly, she checked all the other upstairs rooms, to no avail. Yelina hurried downstairs again, entering the kitchen much more flustered than she had left it.

"What's wrong?" Rick asked, looking up from the table, which he had been busy setting for the meal. Yelina looked out into the garden again, then cast her gaze wildly around the room.

"Have you seen Ray?" she asked anxiously, and Rick frowned, appearing surprised.

"Not for a while," he said, also coming to look through the window. "He was playing out there about half an hour ago, but I got caught up in cooking … I was sure I could still hear him out there with some of the other kids, though."

"There are some other kids out there on skateboards, but Ray isn't with them," Yelina noted, becoming more frantic by the minute. "And his isn't by the door where he usually keeps it. Rick, he's gone – we have to find him, quickly!"

"I'm sure he's just lost track of the time …" Rick said soothingly, trying to embrace her, but Yelina ducked under his arms and crossed her own.

"He knows not to leave without telling me," she said firmly. "I shouldn't have gone to sleep during the day – you should have woken me. Even if he has just gone for a ride and forgotten when dinner is, we still need him home before it gets too dark. I'm going to call Horatio and let him know."

"Because that's the solution to every problem in this family, isn't it?" Rick replied, his tone biting and frustrated. "'Call Horatio.' He's not Ray's father, Yelina!"

"And neither are you!" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. Yelina clapped a hand over her mouth, and Rick stepped back as though she had slapped him. Ignoring the flush that she felt spreading over her face, Yelina turned away and grabbed her cell phone, dialling the familiar number, but all of a sudden she felt it being torn from her hand. She whipped round angrily, and found herself face-to-face with a very angry and upset Rick.

"I'm trying," he said, in a voice that said he was struggling to keep calm, "very hard, Yelina, to make your son accept me. How the hell is he supposed to do that when Horatio's always hovering just in the background, trying to be the father figure Ray needs? That's not his role to step into!"

"He's still Ray's uncle, Rick!" she replied, snatching her phone back, stunned at how badly he was overreacting. "He's family, and Ray needs him as much as he needs me. He doesn't want anybody to replace his father, not Horatio, and not you, but he needs a male role model in his life – somebody to talk to about girls, and his friends, and everything else a young boy can't go to his mother with. He's only known you a few weeks, and you know he's wary of strangers! Of course he's going to want his uncle around – Horatio is his last remaining link to Raymond, and I won't take that from him."

"And I'm not surprised," Rick muttered bitterly, but he stepped back and allowed Yelina to dial. She shot him a look that informed him they would continue this later, and stepped out into the hall in order to make her call.

"Yelina," said the all-too-familiar warm voice on the other end of the line. "How are you?" 

"Horatio," she responded, ignoring the slight chill down her spine at the sound of his calming tones. "I'm afraid this isn't social – Ray Junior isn't in the house anywhere, and his skateboard's gone. I don't know where he is."

"Yelina, Ray Junior's here." Yelina froze for a brief moment, unsure if she had heard correctly, before she heard Horatio continue. "He appeared about twenty minutes ago, saying you had given him permission to come around and see me for a while. He hadn't had dinner, and he said you were eating with Rick, so I was just getting him something. You didn't know he was coming over?"

"Uh, no," she finally managed to say, "I didn't. He didn't tell me."

"Yelina, I'm sorry," Horatio said immediately, and she could hear in his voice that he truly was. "I should have called you to make sure it was okay to give him something to eat, but he gave me the impression that he had permission. And he's done it before, so I suppose I didn't think anything of it, but I would never have wanted you to worry."

"No, it's not your fault, Horatio," Yelina assured him. "Ray should have told me, not you – and he shouldn't have lied to you, either. I'll come and collect him." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rick watching her through the slightly open door, and she turned further away from his intense gaze.

"Well, he's just about to eat, so why don't I bring him over later?" Horatio suggested.

"Oh, I couldn't ask you to do that, really –"

"You didn't ask," Horatio interrupted, and Yelina could practically feel his mouth curling upwards in a smile. "I offered. Besides, it'll give me a chance to talk to Ray about why he lied to us both, and make sure he's okay. If you don't mind, that is." She thought briefly about Rick and his accusations that Horatio was trying to usurp him in Ray's affections. Then she thought of her son, who looked to Horatio as the closest thing he had really ever had to a father who was there for him, and of Horatio, who was willing to give anything and everything he had for his nephew, and her decision was made.

"Of course I don't mind. I'd be really grateful," Yelina said, smiling herself. "You're really great with him, Horatio. I know he really looks up to you, and I really appreciate everything you do for him."

"You know I'm happy to do it."

"I know. Thank you." She felt more than heard Rick approaching behind her, and she had a sudden horrible sinking sensation in her stomach. He wouldn't be happy.

"Okay," Horatio answered, oblivious to her problem. "I'll see you a little later, then."

"Okay. Bye, Horatio."

"Goodbye."

"Ray's with Horatio, then?" Rick asked, sounding painfully sour. Yelina braced herself for another fight, and turned to face him determinedly.

"Yes," she answered, slightly defiantly. "I don't know why, but he is, and I'm just grateful that he's safe, so can we just leave it at that?"

"It sounded like you were grateful for a lot more than that," Rick retorted scathingly. "'Oh, I'm so grateful for everything you do, Horatio.' What is this obsession everybody in Miami has with Horatio Caine?! He's just a man, for Christ's sakes! He's not the bloody Messiah! He's not Ray's father, he's not your husband, and he's not super-cop, and yet you, your son, and the entire Crime Lab worship the ground he walks on! Would you please, for the love of God, Yelina, explain to me what exactly makes that supremely **average** man seem so unbelievably special to the rest of the world, but me?!"

"Rick, calm down!" Yelina couldn't believe how worked up he was getting over absolutely nothing. "I never said he was perfect, and I never will – Horatio has made more than his share of mistakes, believe me! But like it or not, he's still family, and that happens to be important to me, and to Ray!"

"I knew he was family, but I wasn't aware that he was the be-all and end-all of your universe, Yelina! Nobody, and I mean **nobody**, sees their brother-in-law half as often as you see Horatio, and you love every minute of it!"

"How dare you say something like that to me?!" she demanded furiously. "I have welcomed you into my home, despite the reservations of my son and my brother-in-law – the one man who has been there for me through absolutely everything, without fail, Rick, even if you don't like to hear that – and I have encouraged them both to accept you, because I thought you were worth the effort! And then you turn around and accuse me of I don't even know what, because I happen to enjoy spending time with that same man, who I've trusted more than anybody for ten years now?!"

"Even when you and Raymond were still married?" Rick challenged her.

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes!" Yelina snapped. "Raymond was my husband and I loved him, but he was the biggest workaholic I've ever met! He would go off on missions that he claimed not to be able to talk about, but that I would hear about all over the office, for weeks and even months at a time without getting in touch, and who do you think was there for me then? Horatio supported me through all my marriage troubles, through my father's death, through a problematic pregnancy, through a long and difficult labour – he was there to let me break his fingers while Raymond was off playing good-cop-bad-cop with his junkie friends! Horatio was the one who sat with Ray Junior when they didn't know if he was going to make it, because I was so exhausted that I couldn't even stay awake long enough to hold my son! And Horatio was the one who protected and supported me through all of the heartache when Raymond died, and through all of the press coverage and rumours that I wasn't strong enough to cope with. And he's been supporting and protecting me ever since, even though with Raymond gone, he doesn't have any obligations to me, only to Ray Junior. I owe Horatio more in emotional debts than I'll ever be able to repay the half of – he's my best friend, Rick! And he's a damn good man, something you might see for yourself if you weren't too bloody-minded to admit that there might be more to him than the office you're so jealous of."

Rick merely stared at Yelina for a few moments after that outburst, while she held his gaze, breathing slightly more heavily than usual. She didn't normally lose her temper, and she hadn't realised she had it in her to get so defensive so quickly. But what scared her the most was that she hadn't ever thought until now about how much she had depended upon Horatio throughout her marriage and afterwards. She really did owe him a million times over for all he had done for her … and he had never asked for anything in return. He had never even confided in her about his daughter.

"You're not in a marriage with someone who can't or won't offer you the support you need any more, Yelina," Rick said eventually, his voice thick. "You're with me, not Raymond Caine. You have to decide where your allegiance lies now."

The kitchen door slammed closed as Rick stormed upstairs, presumably to sit and stew in her room. Yelina sank down into a chair, her head swimming, and blew out the now half-wasted candle that Rick had lit for them. She hated to admit it, but he was right. She needed to sort out her priorities. The problem was going to be figuring out which meant more to her – her enduring love for Horatio, or her current comfort with Rick.

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**A/N2:** Thanks for reading - like I said, it's my first go at this, so hopefully I'll improve with time! I've written the next chapter and a half, so when I get started writing ch4, I'll post ch2. Sound fair? Let me know ;)

Alison xx


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I soooo want to say they're mine, but then I'll get sued, so ... yeah, they're not mine. HUMPH

**A/N:** Should have explained that I kind of jump PoVs between chapters in this fic - this one is Horatio's side of things. But I will go back and forward rather a lot I'm afraid!! But I do promise to explore the Yelina/Rick relationship fully whenever I can, because it seems that people like that! Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, and I hope you'll like this one ... let me know? Thanks!!

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"Do I have to go back there, Uncle Horatio?" Ray whined, sitting on the stairs with his arms folded and a pout on his face. Horatio sighed and looked his nephew in the eye, holding out a grey children's-sized zip-up jumper with one hand and resting his other elbow on his knee, one stair up from the ground floor. He had fed the youngster a good home-cooked meal of spaghetti and meatballs in a homemade sauce, watched some television with him, and even played a few rounds of Ray's favourite video game with him. Then they had gone into Horatio's garden and up into the tree house he had built especially for his nephew about three years ago, and he'd helped Ray collect bugs for a school project. Horatio couldn't deny that he'd enjoyed every second of it – Ray was an amazing kid, sharp and witty, easy to talk to, and great fun to spend time with. He loved these bonding sessions with his only nephew, because it was something he knew he could give Ray that nobody else could, at least not the same way. He had worried at first that Stetler might come between them, but Ray had allayed his fears by showing up on the doorstep looking for some man-to-man time, and Horatio had been honoured and slightly relieved to know that he was still first choice for that.

"You know what, partner, you do," he said evenly, trying not to show how worried he actually was about his nephew. "You know why? Because your mom is there, Ray, and she loves you more than anything. I reckon she might miss you if you never went back."

"Is Stetler going to be there?" Ray demanded, not moving an inch. Horatio raised his eyebrows, trying to conceal his own emotions lest Ray realise he was hardly fond of Stetler himself.

"I, uh, I don't know," he replied honestly. "Maybe. Why?"

"I hate him!"

"You know, 'hate' is a very strong word, Ray," Horatio said carefully. "And you know your mom cares very much about Rick. Why don't you get along with him?"

"He think I'm a baby," Ray complained. "He talks to me like I'm about four! And he gets annoyed when Mom comes to help me with homework or something – he's jealous of the time she spends with me, and he takes it out on me. Plus he's always trying to get her to send me to bed and stuff, and he never wants to play games with me like you do. And he wouldn't even let me show him my new video game."

"You got a new one?" Horatio asked, momentarily distracted. It had become habit to always ask questions about Ray's new things, and it was a good move, as Ray nodded excitedly.

"Yeah – you have to come over and play it with me, Uncle Horatio!"

"Uh, well, I'd love to, partner," he said slowly, "but maybe it'd be better if you bring it with you the next time you come here." Ray scowled.

"That's another reason I hate Stetler," he muttered. "Since he started going out with Mom, you never come around any more. It's not fair! How can Mom date someone who doesn't like you, Uncle Horatio? And I know you don't like him either. I'd rather have you come around the house than **him**." Horatio smiled a little at that, pondering the best way to answer his nephew.

"Your mom likes Rick a lot," he said. "And he and I aren't exactly best friends, but as long as he makes your mom happy, then I'm happy for her. And I don't come around as much any more because I … I'm giving her some space, that's all. Besides, you know you can still come around here whenever you want."

"I can?" Ray asked, looking doubtful, and Horatio nodded.

"Mm-hmm," he said, smiling. "As much as you like. Just remember to ask permission next time. Your mom was pretty worried about you. And I'm not so crazy about being lied to."

"I'm sorry," the boy said, and he looked it. "Mom was asleep, and I didn't want to go tell Stetler because he wouldn't have let me come! And I knew if I told you I hadn't asked, you would've made me go home. I just wanted to see you, Uncle Horatio."

"You know …" Horatio said thoughtfully, feeling a surge of affection and of pity for his nephew right then. "You know what I think we need? A fishing trip."

"Really?" Ray asked, his eyes lighting up. The sight of it made Horatio's heart warm, and he vowed to make things easier on this child from now on, no matter what it took, or how much he had to argue with Yelina or Stetler over it.

"Definitely," he responded. "I'll talk to your mom about maybe making it this weekend."

"That'd be great!" Ray exclaimed. "Thanks!"

"Okay, but you know what? For me to talk to your mom, we're going to have to go back to your house, Ray," Horatio said. "So what d'you say? Put on your jumper and I'll take you back, and we can start planning our trip, okay?"

"All right," Ray said, and although he still sounded a little resentful, he did as he was asked without question. Horatio smiled and straightened up, leading the way out to the car. He let Ray into the front passenger's seat before getting behind the wheel himself and driving the short distance to Yelina's home – only ten minutes in the car, but too far to have Ray walk in the dark when his mother was already worried about him.

"Ray!" Yelina enveloped her son in her arms, smiling as she kissed the top of his head. Horatio hung back in the shadow of the doorway as she hauled Ray through the door and berated him light-heartedly for worrying her. Ray stiffened perceptibly, and Horatio felt his jaw tighten as he identified the reason.

"Ray, buddy, we were worried about you," Stetler said, coming through from the kitchen and kneeling down in front of Ray. "Don't scare us like that again, okay?" Horatio felt an inexplicable urge to remove those hands from his nephew's shoulders, and it appeared that Ray Junior felt the same way, as he shrugged away from Rick distastefully.

"I'm not your buddy," the young boy replied. "I'm going to go to bed – thanks a lot for everything, Uncle Horatio!"

"Any time, partner," Horatio replied with a genuine smile, and was rewarded with one in return. Rick looked enraged to see the easiness with which Ray accepted nicknames from Horatio, but the Lieutenant didn't care. He was his nephew, after all.

"See you this weekend! Night Uncle Horatio; night Mom. Stetler." And with that, Ray had disappeared upstairs and his door had slammed behind him. Horatio half-laughed after him, and Yelina caught his eye and also smiled. Horatio forced himself to stop smiling quite so widely, although it did prove difficult. He loved her smile. He thought it only served to make her, if possible, even more beautiful. Yelina may have been his brother's wife, but that was a long time ago, and Horatio couldn't help the fact that he cared about her a lot more deeply than he would let on. At the very least he would always be there for her as he had been for the past ten years.

"This weekend?" Stetler demanded, interrupting Horatio's thoughts. Horatio cleared his throat and smiled benignly in Yelina's direction, allowing his eyes to wander over towards Stetler and giving him a cold glance.

"I, uh, I told Ray Junior that I would speak to you about it," he said, addressing only Yelina now. "I suggested that the two of us take a fishing trip sometime soon. I think it would be good for him to have some quality male bonding time, given the age he's at, and I know he would enjoy himself. He seemed quite keen, anyway. This weekend was only a suggestion, of course – if it doesn't suit, we can make it another time."

"Oh, how cosy," Stetler said sarcastically.

"Rick!" Yelina sounded embarrassed, but there was also a slight warning to her tone that Horatio would have known better than to ignore. It seemed, however, that Rick wasn't quite so well acquainted with her yet.

"No, Yelina, somebody has to say it to him," Stetler replied snappishly.

"Then say it, **Rick**," Horatio suggested coldly, taking a step forward. Yelina looked between the two of them, appearing unsure about what to say now.

"You're not Ray Junior's father, Horatio," Stetler said coolly. "It's not your responsibility to have man-to-man talks with him, or male bonding time. I appreciate that you stepped up when your brother died and tried to give him somebody to talk to, but it's been four years, and you're no longer the only man Yelina trusts to support Ray. I think it's about time you took a step back and gave him the chance to get to know other people as well."

"And naturally you're speaking about yourself," Horatio stated. It wasn't a question, because he already knew Stetler's game. He wanted Horatio out of Yelina's life, and out of Ray's. Yelina he knew could make her own decisions, but he would not be cut off from his nephew like this.

"If I'm going to be Ray's father some day –"

"That's a pretty big 'if' there, Rick," Horatio noted. "And for the record, you will never be Ray's father. His father was my brother, and he is dead. If you really want to get close to Ray Junior, you'll stop trying to replace his father and start acting like a human being."

"Are you saying I don't act like a human being around him?" Rick demanded. Horatio half-smiled, looking the other man directly in the eye.

"I am saying, you treat my nephew like a child."

"He is a child, Horatio."

"He's not an idiot, Rick. He has opinions and ideas that are just as valid as yours or mine, and if you weren't wasting so much time trying to act like the father Ray doesn't want you to, then maybe you would see that for yourself, and you could start to appreciate him for who he is. Maybe then it would be easier to form a relationship," Horatio pointed out evenly, but inside he was fuming. He didn't want Rick and Ray to bond, but he knew deep down that someday Yelina **would** remarry, and he had to be prepared for that.

"Horatio." Yelina stepped forward and silenced Rick with a look. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but it's all right. Rick and Ray are getting along fine as they are."

"Not the way I heard it," Horatio told her quietly. Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second, but then she shook herself and continued with what she had been saying.

"Anyway, I think a fishing trip is a wonderful idea. And this weekend is actually perfect, because we had talked about trying to fit in a weekend away, but with our schedules, this weekend and two months were the only times we could fit in. We'd just thought this weekend was too soon, but if you're willing to take Ray Junior …"

"Always," Horatio replied. "I've told him he's welcome with me any time." Yelina smiled gratefully, whilst Stetler looked extremely put out.

"So – I mean, I don't want to assume or impose, but – would it be okay if after the fishing, Ray went home with you for a little while? We could collect him on our way home on Sunday night, but I couldn't guarantee a time …" Yelina sounded a little guilty, and Horatio smiled, hoping to put her mind at rest.

"I tell you what," he said. "Why don't I take Ray all weekend and get him to school on Monday, and your mother can collect him after that as normal? He'll be waiting for you when you get home from work on Monday night." Yelina blinked, appearing surprised, and Stetler eyed Horatio suspiciously, as though trying to figure out what he was up to. _Well, let him wonder_, thought Horatio grimly. Yelina smiled a little bemusedly.

"Are you sure?" she asked quizzically.

"Positive," Horatio confirmed. "You two have a nice weekend."

"I, uh …" Yelina appeared to be at a loss for words. She turned to face Stetler for a moment. "Rick, could you maybe finish drying up those dishes? I'll be through in a minute." Horatio smiled inwardly. He knew Rick would like nothing worse than to leave him alone with Yelina, but dared not say so in front of her.

"Sure," Stetler said, still looking at Horatio like he didn't trust him. "Nice seeing you again, Horatio."

"A pleasure as always, Rick," Horatio responded, meaning his words no more than the other man had his own. Once Stetler had left the room, Yelina turned to face Horatio, still wearing a mystified sort of smile.

"All right, out with it," she said once the door was fully closed. Horatio merely raised his eyebrows in question, and she scoffed. "Oh, come on, Horatio. 'Have a nice weekend'? I know you don't like Rick any more than he likes you, and I'm well aware of the fact that you don't think I should be with him."

"So?" Horatio asked, not bothering to deny the truth.

"So why the sudden change of heart? Why are you going out of your way to make it possible for us to have this weekend away? What are you up to, Horatio?" He smiled.

"Absolutely nothing, Yelina," he replied, and it was the absolute truth, too. "I want to take Ray on a fishing trip for his sake and for mine – whatever Rick says, you know they're not getting along, and Ray needs some sort of a man to talk to. And I love spending time with him. I want to continue to do so."

"And offering to take him home with you, that's part of your bonding experience too, is it?" Yelina pressed him.

"I may not think highly of Rick as a person or as an officer, and I don't deny that I think you could do a lot better," Horatio admitted. "But I can see you care for him, and whatever my own personal feelings on the matter … you deserve to be happy." Yelina looked at him as if unsure how to respond, so he saved her the trouble. "Just enjoy yourself, Yelina," he said with a small smile. "All I want is to be there for you."

"You always have," she said softly. "Thank you, Horatio. This is … unexpected, but I'm very grateful. And if there's ever anything I can do – I mean, you've done so much for me over the years – if I can ever return the favour …"

"I'll be sure to let you know," he promised. "I'll come by tomorrow night if that's okay with you. I'd like to speak to Ray about our trip."

"You're welcome in our home any time, Horatio," Yelina said with a smile. Horatio looked at the ground for a moment before meeting her eye again with a brief smile.

"For the time being," he agreed. "I'll see you, Yelina." She half-smiled, and he knew she knew exactly what he had meant, and she couldn't deny it. If Stetler ever did worm his way into the household, Horatio's name would be dubbed a swearword, and they were both acutely aware of the fact now.

"Goodbye, Horatio," she said with a sad sort of smile, the twinkle gone from her eyes. Horatio nodded once, and turned his back to her as he heard the door snap shut behind him. He then climbed into his car and drove away without allowing himself even the briefest of glances back over his shoulder. If he had done, he might have seen his only nephew watching him leave from an upstairs window, blinking back tears. But as it was, Horatio just kept driving, not home, but along deserted roads for over an hour until he was well outside city boundaries. He stopped on the banks of a small lake near the Everglades, and crouched at the edge of the water, his fingertips creating ripples as he traced patterns in the smooth clear surface.

"How do I love thee?" he murmured, as he pictured Yelina's face reflected in the water before him. "Let me count the ways." He sat back on the small mound of grass just behind him and ran a hand through his hair, swallowing heavily and breathing long, slow breaths designed to relax his pounding heart. For so long he had loved everything about Yelina – how when she smiled at him, a dimple formed in her cheek, and her eyes sparkled. How her hair was as wild as her temper. How she would throw her head back when she laughed and he could smell her perfume – jasmine, with a hint of cinnamon.

He had loved her from the moment he clapped eyes on her: Raymond's latest fling. Another woman for him to charm and cheat on, then desert at the first hint of something serious or something gone wrong. How his little brother had wasted the precious time he was afforded in her company – hours upon hours, squandered on small talk or even silence over a meal. And as predicted, he had lost interest. Said his goodbyes and moved on. But Yelina had been different. Not two weeks after her break-up with Raymond, Horatio had run into her in a small café near his home, and something had changed. For the first time in his life, Horatio had found himself desiring a woman in spite of the fact that she had dated his own brother. He had understood her little jokes and appreciated her quirks in a way that Raymond would never have thought of doing, and he had been prepared to violate his own moral code and ask her out. He knew it wouldn't have been entirely proper, him being her rebound from his younger brother, and he knew he was probably too old for her anyway, but he just couldn't seem to stop himself. The words had been on the tip of his tongue when her cell phone had rung.

Raymond. _Always_, Horatio thought, _it had come back to Raymond_. Back then, when he had called her to apologise, needing a date for a charity event and wanting to take her to make a colleague jealous, and now, when the boundaries between Horatio and her were so complex that he sometimes wondered whether any sort of relationship could even work. All because of Raymond. And him, with his own absurd nobility! What had he done, when she had hung up the phone and asked him if Raymond was worth a second chance?

What he always did, of course. He had defended his brother to the last – told her that there wasn't a better man out there, and that any woman would be lucky to have him. It was his fault, and his alone, that they had ended up together. He would never have dreamt of admitting his true feelings when they were together, of course, because that would mean putting himself before his brother, and Horatio didn't have enough selfishness in him to do it. So he had bitten his tongue and watched, watched as they married, saw Yelina through the birth of Ray Junior, observed Raymond throw away what he had on his self-centred pleasures. Still he had said nothing, only continued to play the part of helpful brother-in-law, doting uncle, and been there when he was required, fading into the background the rest of the time.

He remembered clearly the day Ray Junior had been born. He had been the one who stood by Yelina's side, holding her hand despite the fact that she was squeezing the life out of his, and encouraged her to push for all she was worth. And after it all, the miracle that was Ray Junior had entered the world, struggling for breath. Yelina had passed out not five minutes later, and he had kept a vigil beside the baby for hours, praying for him to pull through, until Raymond finally decided to show his face.

"What are you doing here?" he had asked. He had been off working, missed the birth of his son, oblivious to the suffering of his family, and he had been angry at his brother for being there to pick up the pieces, like he had done their whole lives. Horatio had told him about Ray Junior's illness, about Yelina's painful childbirth, about all the heartache they were all feeling, and Raymond being Raymond had fixated on the fact that Horatio had been there where he should have been.

"It's not fair," he had kept saying. "It's not fair. You shouldn't have been here – I should." Horatio had thought of the spent woman down the corridor, too tired to even hold her own son before he was taken away for tests and treatment, and he had thought of the child in the adjacent room, fighting for his life with what little strength he had, and then he had thought of his own brother complaining about how the world was against him.

"You know what, little brother?" he had said. "Life isn't fair." He laughed bitterly to himself now, flopping backwards and laying his head on the grass.

_Horatio Caine_, he thought grimly, _you never spoke a truer word_.

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**A/N:** Awwwwww, everyone feel sorry for Horatio now? Good :P You have to. I'm not very kind to him in this chapter. I promise to be nicer in future though! Please let me know what you thought, though - and I'll update as soon as I can!! Thanks :)

Alli xx


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** No, they are not mine. I really wish they were, because then all the things I do to them would be legal and not just fiction, but hey, them's the breaks :P

**A/N:** This chapter is up a lot sooner than expected, but I don't promise all updates to be this fast ... however, I am staying with the story, so if it's a little while between updates, don't worry. I'll always come back to it :) Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter - I really appreciate all the comments, and it gives me incentive to keep going!! I'm glad people are liking this, but I should apologise now as this chapter might be a tad ... dull. Just a lot, a LOT, of dialogue, really. But it's kind of necessary, and I'll make it up to you later!! Thanks :D

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**"Mom?" Yelina looked up from her paper to find Ray Junior standing in the living room doorway, looking at her with the saddest face she had ever seen. Immediately she had her arms out to him, a thousand possible horrible scenarios running through her mind at breakneck speed. What could have upset him so much?

"Ray, sweetheart, what is it?" she asked as he sat down alongside her on the sofa, leaning into her for comfort. "What's the matter?"

"Mom, I …" His voice was thick, and Yelina could tell her son had been crying. "I don't want to go fishing with Uncle Horatio this weekend. Don't make me go." Yelina breathed an inward sigh of relief, thankful that it was nothing worse, but then confusion set in.

"Honey, I thought you were excited about going away fishing?" Ray's lip trembled.

"I ch-changed my mind," he murmured. "Do I have to go? Is Uncle Horatio going to be angry with me?"

"Oh, no, of course not!" Yelina assured him, hugging him tighter. "Uncle Horatio loves you, Ray, and he just wants you to have fun, that's all! If going fishing isn't going to be fun for you then he'll understand that. Maybe you could do something else – he could teach you how to play baseball, or you could go skating, huh? Whatever you want to do, I know Horatio would be willing to do it for you. You can do whatever you would like, okay?"

"Can I go to Grandma's?" Yelina froze for a second and drew back to look at Ray.

"Grandma's?" she repeated perplexedly. "Ray, are you angry with your Uncle Horatio or something? Because earlier this evening you were so happy to have spent time with him, and you seemed really keyed up about your weekend together."

"I was," Ray admitted. "But I don't want to any more. Uncle Horatio **is** going to be mad at me, isn't he?"

"Well, no, I don't think so," Yelina said slowly. "But I'm worried about you. You normally love fishing, and you always love spending time with Horatio. I just don't understand why you wouldn't want to spend this weekend with him. Has he said something, or done something to upset you? Because you know the last thing he would want would be to have made you upset, and I'm sure it's all just a misunderstanding."

"He didn't say anything, all right?!" Ray snapped, surprising his mother. "I just don't want to go anymore! Why does everything have to have some hidden meaning? Why can't I just have changed my mind and that's the end of it?"

"All right, all right!" she replied, releasing her son from her embrace totally and watching in stunned silence as he leapt from the sofa and took a few steps away from it, breathing heavily. Yelina simply looked into his defiant gaze for a few moments, unsure where this outburst had come from or how to handle it. Finally she took a deep breath, counting to ten in her head, before speaking again. "I'll call Horatio now. I'm sure he'll understand."

"Don't count on it," Ray retorted, still sounding bitter. "Why should he? I mean, **you** obviously don't, so I won't expect it from Uncle Horatio."

"Ray!" Yelina said, shocked, but he had already stormed from the room. She groaned, burying her face in her hands despondently. She hated it when Ray Junior got upset, because with it just being the two of them, it always fell to her to sort it out, and there were some things that were just much easier for a boy to talk about with his father. She knew that, and she had accepted it a long time ago, but at times like this, she really resented having to be both parents in one. It was difficult enough being a single mother without throwing in paternal duties to the mix as well. She sat that way for a few minutes, before picking up the phone from the table and dialling.

"Yelina." Already she felt a little better. She knew it was ridiculous, but just hearing Horatio's soothing voice saying anything – but particularly her name – always seemed to calm her down. "Is everything all right? Ray Junior hasn't run off again, has he?"

"No, no, he's in his room," Yelina assured him, swallowing a little. She was suddenly and inexplicably glad that she had asked Rick not to stay tonight, but to go home. She had feigned exhaustion about an hour earlier and told him she just wanted to crash, and that would be easier without him around to distract her. Thankfully, he had taken the hint and left, promising to call her in the morning. She hadn't even been particularly tired, but she was feeling more and more often that she needed breathing space, and that was getting hard to come by with Rick in the picture.

"Good," Horatio said, and she imagined he was smiling. "So what's going on?"

"Uh, Horatio, I …" Yelina heard the tremble in her own voice, and swallowed again more forcefully. She didn't want to cry in front of him, even if it was over the phone. "Ray's been a little upset tonight."

"Upset? Upset how? Is he all right?" His paternal concern shone through more so than usual, and Yelina found herself sniffling a little.

"Yeah, he's okay, he just … he, um …" The words just wouldn't seem to come, but Horatio stepped in and cut her off before she had a chance to force them out.

"You know what? You stay there, and I'll be right over."

"Oh, Horatio, you don't have to –"

"Yelina." His tone told her that arguing would be fruitless, and she fell silent. "I'll be there in about ten minutes, okay? Is Ray Junior in bed?"

"Uh, yes," she managed to say, her voice little more than a whisper.

"Okay, then I'll come to the back door, all right?"

"Okay," Yelina agreed. She felt guilty for dragging him out again at this late hour, especially to deliver the news that Ray's upset was being directed mostly at him, but she was actually secretly glad he was coming over. She wanted to see him, to talk to him, without Rick hovering suspiciously all the time. She missed him. And right now she really needed a friend.

"All right. See you soon," Horatio said encouragingly, and Yelina felt herself smiling a little.

"See you then," she agreed, and hung up. She felt utterly ridiculous as she rifled through her purse and found her hairbrush, trying to make herself look more presentable, and yet she couldn't help herself. And when she heard the soft rapping on the back door, ten minutes later as promised, she also couldn't resist a quick peek in the hall mirror to check her makeup.

"Horatio," she said with a smile as she opened the door. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course," he replied, also smiling, but his eyes didn't quite twinkle the way Yelina was used to. "Are you all right?"

"Me?" she asked, surprised. "Yes, of course – why?"

"Well, on the phone you sounded upset. That is why I'm here, after all." Yelina froze. He wasn't here because of Ray Junior – he would have been willing to hear that news over the phone. He was here for her sake, because he thought she was upset. "So, are we going to stand here all night?"

"Oh, sorry! Come in, come in – make yourself at home!" She silently smacked herself in the head for being so dense. Horatio smiled slightly and stepped into the kitchen.

"Thank you …" He took a seat at the table, watching her closely as she poured herself a glass of wine, and another for him. She didn't even have to ask if he wanted one, because until she had started dating Rick, this had been perfectly normal. He would walk over in the evenings, sometimes for dinner, sometimes later, and they would share a bottle of wine and talk and watch TV with Ray Junior. Very occasionally she had shown up on his doorstep and received the same treatment in return. Yelina smiled to herself as she realised how much she had missed the casual moments spent in his company, before turning back to face him and handing over the glass.

"Here you go," she said, trying to keep her voice from quivering as she thought of Ray upstairs. Horatio took the glass and raised it in her direction.

"Cheers," he said quietly, taking a sip. She silently toasted her own glass to him and took a rather larger gulp than was necessary, or perhaps appropriate. When she couldn't take the silence any longer, she sat down opposite him and took a deep breath.

"Horatio, I … I had a little chat with Ray earlier," she said, choosing her words carefully. "I don't really know how to say this without you getting offended …"

"Yelina, just tell me," Horatio said gently, placing a comforting hand over hers on the table. She inhaled sharply and drew away from him, looking down at the table and hoping he wouldn't say anything. When he didn't, she looked up.

"Ray doesn't want to go fishing this weekend," she said quickly. "I think he wants to go to my mother's while I'm away with Rick." Horatio looked slightly surprised, but if he was hurt, he managed to hide it well. Yelina let out a breath she hadn't realised she had been holding, glad that he seemed to be taking the news well. "I'm sorry, Horatio."

"You have nothing to apologise for," he said firmly, looking so deep into her eyes that she felt she could lose herself in his gaze. "I offered to take Ray Junior away because I thought it was what he wanted and needed, but if that's not the case, all he had to do was say so. If he wants to spend the weekend with your mother, then of course he should. I would never expect him to spend time with me if he doesn't want to, or spend that time doing things he isn't interested in. I hope he knows that. I only want him to do what makes him happy. It's only about having fun – about him having me around. With Raymond gone, I suppose I just thought he might like to spend a little more time with me than he's used to. A chance for him to talk about things he might wish his father was around for. But I always assumed that he knew the ball was in his court."

"I think he does know," Yelina said quickly, desperate to reassure him. She didn't want him to think that Ray had stopped wanting to spend time with him – at least not until she had had a chance to speak to Ray about it herself. "I really do think he appreciates it, Horatio. I think that right now he's just at that awkward age where he hasn't outgrown his family, not even close, but it's stopped being cool to admit that."

"I understand," Horatio said with a small smile, but Yelina suspected he was hurt.

"Horatio …" she began softly, but he held up a hand calmly.

"Yelina," he replied, still smiling a little. "Really. It's all right. I just want Ray to be happy, and if he'll be happy with your mother, then that's where I'd prefer for him to be."

"I just want to make sure you know, it's not about him not wanting to spend quality time with you. I know he loves having a man around."

"Yes, well, you know what they say about three being a crowd," Horatio responded lightly, but something in his tone hit Yelina hard, as she finally realised what he thought was going on here. They both knew that Rick and Ray weren't bonding the way she had hoped, and the situation was only made worse by the fact that Rick felt threatened by Horatio. Rick was pushing things with Ray, hoping to supplant Horatio, and the older man thought that Yelina was pushing for the same thing. He thought he was going to lose his nephew, and it broke her heart to think of him feeling that way.

"Rick … Rick is a good man, Horatio," she said slowly. "He's been good to me, and he's trying to make things work with Ray Junior too. But even if he wants to be some sort of surrogate father, Ray is not interested, and I would never dream of having him shut you out. You are Ray's uncle, and that's family. Nothing matters more than that. You've been there for him more so than anybody knows since Raymond died, and even before. You have been more of a father to him than Raymond was, and I will always want you around."

"Thank you," Horatio answered quietly, averting his gaze. "That's, uh … that's good to know. But really, please, tell Ray that I'm not angry, and hopefully I'll see him soon."

"I will," Yelina promised.

"Okay." Horatio seemed to hesitate a moment, then brought his wine glass to his lips, seeming prepared to drink it all in one. Yelina laughed a little and pulled it away from his mouth without thinking, then jerked her own hand away, fighting a blush.

"Horatio, you don't need to rush off just because we've finished talking about Ray," she said, perhaps a little too quickly. "Relax. Don't drink your wine too quickly!"

"Sorry," he said, replacing his glass on the table, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile. "I suppose I really ought to be setting an example."

"I was more thinking about the fact that I don't want you making yourself ill," Yelina joked, hoping to lighten the mood. "Besides, if I'd known you'd be in this much of a hurry to get away from me, I wouldn't have bothered with the wine. Is my company really that unbearable for you?" Horatio smiled again.

"Anything but," he replied softly.

"Good," she responded, unable to help smirking a little herself. "Then slow down. We have plenty of time. Let's just talk. I feel like I haven't seen you in weeks."

"Well, we've both been busy," he said offhandedly. She wondered for a brief moment if he really had been trying to avoid her, but pushed the thought firmly from her mind. She didn't want to think about a day when she didn't have Horatio in her life.

"Yes, we have," she murmured quietly. "So, uh, tell me – how was New York?" Horatio half-smiled, and she thanked God internally that they had found something they could talk about without hitting any sore spots. Of course, she wished it didn't always have to come down to work, but it was good to be able to just chat without watching her mouth. He had been away for a few days the previous week, following a murderer back to his old haunting ground, with incredible results. She had missed him, but she knew it was worth it to put a dangerous man like Henry Darius behind bars.

"It was good," Horatio answered, a little hesitantly. "I wish we'd been able to catch him sooner, of course, but at least we were able to get him eventually …" Yelina knew exactly what he wasn't telling her, of course – he felt guilty about all the lives Darius had taken when he was loose.

"He's a very, very sick man," she said bitterly. "And I'm just glad he's away now. When is he being brought down here for trial?"

"Any day now," he replied. "Mac said he might just show up and surprise us. He wanted to bring Darius himself this time, make sure there are no more slip-ups like last time. I can see exactly where he's coming from. I'd want to do the same in his position."

"He's a good man," Yelina agreed. She had only met Mac Taylor briefly when he had been in Miami, but she had recognised his dedication instantly, and she thought he was probably something like Horatio had been before his promotion. She had only ever really known him as a brother-in-law until Raymond died, as she had had no reason to see him at work. But then she had transferred departments, and Horatio had been made Lieutenant, and their paths had crossed on a much more regular basis.

"That he is," Horatio said.

"What about everyone else up there?" she asked, desperate to keep the conversation flowing smoothly now that it had started. "Did you see anybody you used to work with?"

"Uh, no, I didn't. I knew most of Mac's team from a case I followed up there last year, though, so it was easy enough to get into the routine. Manhattan's a funny place," he mused. "You can be away for ten, twenty years, but when you return you always feel right at home. The faces and buildings change, but the atmosphere never does. It's very easy to slip in and out of the job there."

"It sounds like you miss it a lot," Yelina commented. She could hear in his voice how much he loved New York, and it made her a little curious as to why he had left, but she knew this wasn't the time for that conversation.

"I love Miami, Yelina," Horatio said with a smile. "New York was my home once, but a lot has happened since then. I would like to go back more often, and there are parts of it that I do miss, but … I wouldn't give up what I have for anything. I'm not the same man I was when I worked Manhattan, and going back is always a nice break. But I don't think I could ever be content with my old life again."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," she said jokingly, but really she was serious. "You would be sorely missed if you decided to move back, you know."

"Thank you … You've still never been, have you?"

"No." She shook her head. "I did plan on it, when I was younger, but I joined the force and things were so hectic, and then I met Raymond, and he didn't want to go …"

"… Because I was there," Horatio finished. Yelina raised her eyebrows, surprised.

"I wasn't going to say that," she said, and he looked at the ground, half-smiling.

"He probably wouldn't have said anything," he agreed. "But Raymond always felt … overshadowed, somehow. I never wanted him to feel that way, but he told me often enough that he was always trying to measure up. Of course, it was ridiculous, but … well, you know how stubborn he could be."

"I think it's something about the Caine men," she smirked, and he laughed a little.

"Quite possibly," he said. "He would never have gone to New York, because it was such a large part of my life. He wanted to do his own thing, no matter what."

"I knew he had issues with you," Yelina admitted. "He did tell me a few times that he always felt like second-best to you, with your parents and at work. I suppose it makes sense that he wouldn't want to be compared to you in any other way."

"I wish he hadn't felt the way he did. I never felt superior –" Horatio said quickly, but Yelina cut him off with a laugh.

"Horatio, you never feel superior to **anyone**," she said soothingly. "I know better than most that you would never have dreamt of making anyone, least of all your own brother, feel like they were worth less than you. You don't have to justify yourself to me, not ever. Raymond was a very insecure man. There was nothing you could have done."

"I know," he answered with a small smile. "Thank you."

"Any time," she promised, meaning it.

"I'll bear that in mind. Now, I'd really better be off – it's getting late, and we both have to work tomorrow. I hope Ray Junior's all right."

"I'm sure he will be," Yelina said, smiling as she stood up with him and walked the few paces to the door. She opened it for him, and he turned to face her with a smile.

"Thank you for the wine," he said. "It was lovely, and the company more so."

"You're welcome," she replied, feeling her cheeks redden and smiling uncontrollably. "It was good to see you, Horatio. I've missed spending time with you. And I'm glad everything went well in New York – I meant to ask you last week, but …"

"Time has a way of running away from you when you least expect it," he said, smiling. "I understand. We'll catch up again soon."

"I'd really like that."

"Okay … we'll do that, then. Goodnight, Yelina." He smiled a little bashfully and stepped out of the door she was still holding, beginning to walk away.

"Goodnight, Horatio," she called after him, and he turned around for just a second, and they smiled at one another for one heart-stopping moment. Yelina felt she could just drop down right there and die a happy woman. But then he had turned his back again, walking away into the night, and she closed the door with a soft snap. She leaned against the frame, glancing guiltily at the picture of Rick and her that he had put on her refrigerator door. She felt bad for lying to him about feeling ill, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to deny herself time with Horatio.

She sighed heavily, and headed upstairs for what she predicted to be another restless night full of dreams she shouldn't be having about the man she shouldn't care so deeply for. As she lay down on her covers, fully clothed, she couldn't help but wonder whether, not so far away, Horatio was settling down for a night like hers; whether his dreams would be penetrated with thoughts of her; whether he was thinking of her right now. She knew it was wrong, and she would curse herself in the morning for allowing herself to think it, but in the back of her mind … she really hoped he was.

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**A/N:** Okay, that was a lot of drabbling ... the story does progress in the next chapter, I swear!! It's almost finished as we speak lol ;) But yah, I felt the need for some background and build-up and stuff, so I'm sorry if it's a tad boring, but things start to get interesting REALLY soon!! Thanks loads for reading - let me know what you thought :)

Alison xxx


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Y'all know the drill. Not mine legally, I just borrow them and play around with them a little … and I usually return them unharmed.

**A/N:** I have to apologise deeply for the delay in getting this chapter up!! I've had Uni applications to deal with and exams start in less than 2 weeks, so I'm incredibly stressed and time seems to have run away from me lately! But I had a really good run of writing one night, so I'm now halfway through ch6, which means that I only have half a chapter to write before the next one can go up. Trust me, that's a good thing, by the way!! It means you'll get the next one a LOT sooner!

This is the chapter where I've inserted my slight NY crossover - just one character though, nothing too complicated, I promise! No elaborate switching between NY labs and Miami labs - I thought that was a tad much on top of all this HY stuff ;) Hopefully you'll like what I've done with the NY angle, anyway, and I'd love to know what you think of the characterisation and how it works out.

Anyway, thanks very much to everyone who read, reviewed and alerted this fic – it gives me inspiration to write more :) Thanks for being so patient, and I'll try to be better in future! Enjoy :D

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"Morning, Horatio," Calleigh Duquesne said with a smile, and he replied in kind. She was one of his closest friends, not that that was saying much, and incredibly easy to get on with. More than this, he loved working with Calleigh, because she always gave a hundred and ten percent and was passionate about what she did. She reminded him of himself when he was younger and more idealistic.

"Good morning," he said. "When did you get in?"

"Oh, just about five minutes ago – you?" Her Southern drawl always cheered him up.

"Uh, about an hour ago," he lied. In truth, he had been there for closer to three hours, having had another sleepless night and given up trying around dawn. Calleigh, however, was constantly nagging him about being a workaholic, and he saw no need to give her an opening for one of her famous lectures. She raised one eyebrow sceptically.

"I'll check up on that," she warned him, but her smile told him it was all in good fun.

"You do that," he responded indifferently. She wouldn't really.

"Hmm. I was going to go and test-fire some of the rifles, and I was just wondering if you knew how far back the shooter was on the Dawson case."

"Uh, well, we recreated the scene yesterday afternoon, and Eric and I estimated around six or seven feet," Horatio answered, thinking back over the case. A woman had been tied up, raped, and then shot in her home the night before last, and as yet they had no leads, save for the bullet, named as being from some sort of rifle. "But you're the expert."

"I won't argue with that," Calleigh laughed. "So what are you up to?"

"The usual," he said vaguely, and she rolled her eyes.

"You'd better not be working yourself too hard, Horatio," she said seriously. "I worry about you, you know. Everyone does – Alexx especially. We just want to make sure you're okay."

"I am," he replied, smiling a little. "But thank you anyway." In truth, he **was** okay – or at least, as close to okay as he was going to get. But it was incredibly touching to know that his team were concerned about him, although he didn't like to worry anybody, particularly when there was so little wrong, and nothing they could do about what was.

"Okay, well, if you need anything –"

"You'll be the first to know," Horatio cut her off, and she smiled. Before she could reply, however, his cell phone began to ring loudly. "Excuse me," he said apologetically, reaching into his pocket.

"No problem – I'll be in Ballistics if you need me," Calleigh called over her shoulder, retreating even as he removed the cell from his pocket. He smiled after her for a moment, glad as always to have her around, and then answered.

"Lieutenant Caine," he said into the mouthpiece.

"Hey, Lieutenant, this is Danny Messer, from the New York Crime Lab," said the familiar voice on the other end, and Horatio smiled a little.

"Morning, Detective Messer," he said politely.

"Yeah, morning for you, maybe," Danny joked, and Horatio could picture his boyish grin. Danny reminded him forcibly of Speedle, both being New York bad boys with a bit of an attitude, but overall a good heart, and when it came to the point, incredibly loyal and committed to their jobs.

"What can I do for you, Danny?" Horatio asked with a grin.

"For once, not much, Horatio," the younger man replied, all formality abandoned. "This is just a courtesy call for Mac's benefit – he wanted me to let you know that Darius arrives in Miami on a flight in about two hours' time, and he'll be in your prison by noon."

"That's good to know," Horatio said, meaning it. "So I should expect a visit?"

"Probably around lunchtime," Danny said. "And good luck to you. Darius has already been awarded seven consecutive life sentences up here, but if your courts want to offer him a needle for his trouble, then we'll gladly turn the bastard over." Horatio laughed inwardly – this was even more like Speedle, and typical of Messer. He had enjoyed working with him.

"We'll do our best to take him off your hands," he promised.

"Glad to hear it."

"Thanks for the heads up, Danny," Horatio said.

"No problem. Come back up our way any time, Horatio," Danny responded. "Keep in touch, and let us know how things go your end on the trial."

"You got it."

"All right, I'll see you."

"Bye, Danny," Horatio said with a smile, hanging up. He felt a slight twinge as he thought of his brief time spent in Manhattan the previous week. He had missed the place more than he had realised until then, and it had felt a lot more like he was making a difference working there. He thought that was what had made him unsure what to say when Yelina had asked him last night if he had enjoyed himself. The answer should have been a straightforward yes, but it was more complicated than that. In New York, he was still Lieutenant Horatio Caine, but the name meant far less there than in Florida. He was working in Mac's lab, sharing the load, and consequently he had had a lot more time to do the hands-on side of the job. Instead of giving orders, he was doing the same job as everyone else in the lab, and he admired Mac for setting up such an effective environment. Part of his problem wasn't his work: it was the lack of it.

"Horatio," Alexx greeted him, her tone surprised. "What brings you down here? I haven't received any fresh bodies from your team today." Horatio smiled a little, looking around him absent-mindedly. The mortuary was normally considered the most depressing room in the building, but he didn't mind it. Maybe he had just gotten too used to it.

"No, I'm not here about that," he replied. He had declared himself on a break and wandered down this way whilst thinking about his experiences in Manhattan.

"Then what is it? Is everything okay?" Alexx asked, looking concerned.

"Everything's fine," he assured her. "And that's why I'm here. Calleigh told me you've been worried about me. I came to assure you that there's really no need."

"Calleigh ought to learn to keep her mouth shut," Alexx said, but he knew she was only joking. "I know you, Horatio, and I have done ever since you first joined the bomb squad. Just think how long ago **that** was."

"Longer than I'd care to remember," he admitted, and she half-smirked.

"Exactly," she said. "You think I haven't learned how to tell when something's bothering you? I don't know what it is, Horatio, but you haven't been the same this past week. Even before, you seemed a little distracted, but you've only gotten worse lately. I had hoped that you might go back to your old self when you came back from New York, but that hasn't happened either."

"Why would you think that?" he asked, hoping his tone was mild enough.

"It was a big part of your life once," Alexx answered, glancing knowingly at him. "I hoped you would remember what it was like to be happy, and it might remind you how much you have going for you. There are a lot of us who love you, Horatio."

"I know," Horatio replied sincerely. He did know, and he appreciated it. It just sadly wasn't that simple. "Thank you, Alexx, but I promise you, I'm fine."

"Well, whatever you say," she said doubtfully. "I'll still worry."

"Unnecessarily, but appreciated nonetheless," he answered her. She smiled at that.

"Just remember that I'm always here for you, all right?" she said, a slight crease forming in her brow. "I hate to think of you bottling everything up, bearing more burdens than you have to. You have enough of those as it is."

"I'll keep it in mind," he promised. "And my door is always open, too."

"Pfft, for me?" she scoffed. "Honey, we both know my problems are nothing compared to yours! But thank you. You're a good man, Horatio Caine."

"I think we'll have to agree to disagree on that one, Alexx," he replied quietly. He always tried to do the right thing, but he often felt like what he could do wasn't anywhere near enough. With Ray Junior, for one. He had suggested going fishing in order to make the boy feel better about their slightly awkward family situation, and to spend some bonding time with him, and Ray had seemed excited about it. But evidently Horatio had been mistaken, and the boy didn't want to go after all. It wasn't that he blamed him, at all, but he still felt bad that what he could offer wasn't good enough. Alexx frowned at him.

"And it's comments like that that make me think there's something wrong with you," she informed him with a shrewd look. He half-smiled.

"I'll catch up with you later, Alexx," he said simply, telling her with his tone that this conversation was over. She sighed a little.

"You make sure you do that," she said, and he nodded.

"I will," he told her, before turning and leaving the room quickly. He stepped into the elevator with a sigh, pondering his next move. He still had three reports to complete, all sitting half-done and abandoned in his office, but he really didn't think he could face them right then. A glance at his watch told him that Mac was due in about an hour, so he decided to go over to the Police Department and see if Frank had managed to dig up any more leads on the Dawson case. It frustrated him having so little to work with, and so they were looking into all known relatives, friends, business associates and other acquaintances of Clarissa Dawson. Last time he had checked, they still had nothing.

Stepping out of the building into the warm Miami sun, Horatio removed his trusty sunglasses from his pocket and placed them on his face, looking around him. He loved this city, at least as much as he loved New York, if not more. And nobody could deny the weather was more pleasant and predictable. He knew it was just a little nostalgia taking over, but he couldn't quite shake the nagging thought at the back of his mind that kept taking him back to Manhattan. However, he was determined to ignore it for the time being, and so he shook himself internally and climbed into the Hummer, heading for the PD.

"Morning, Horatio," Detective Frank Tripp greeted him as he entered the familiar office, glancing around, as was his habit, to see where Yelina was. He caught a brief glimpse of her about three cubicles along from her own, bent over a file with a colleague, before withdrawing his gaze and focussing his attention on the matter at hand once more.

"Frank," he responded. "Anything more on Clarissa Dawson?"

"Not much," the Detective said with a shrug. "Couple of unpaid parking tickets, but nothing major on her record."

"All right, what about known associates, did we dig anything up there?" Horatio pressed, determined to find something – anything – that he could go on.

"Well, she was in college with a man called Romero Garcia, he's a repeat offender – got hits for grand larceny, grand theft auto, a few DUI's and one or two domestic disturbances over at his flat. Other than that, your vic's squeaky clean."

"And what do we know about Romero Garcia now?" Horatio asked. "Has there been any contact between him and Ms Dawson since college?"

"I've got someone looking into that right now," Frank assured him, and Horatio nodded.

"All right, keep me posted," he said. Frank nodded in response and left Horatio standing alone, debating whether or not he should wait for Yelina to be free for a quick chat. He knew it was ridiculous, and that she was with Stetler and only saw him as a brother, but he couldn't help longing for her company.

"Hey, hot stuff," a voice from behind him said. He saw Yelina's head snap up out of the corner of his eye as he turned, and a moment later he was engulfed by a bushy brown mass, and arms were around his neck, with a woman's laughter ringing in his ears.

"That's certainly not a nickname I'm used to, Stella," he informed her, chuckling a little himself as he returned her embrace briefly. Detective Stella Bonasera grinned as she stepped backwards out of his arms and looked him straight in the eyes, flipping a chocolate curl over her shoulder and tilting her head slightly to one side.

"You look tired," she observed bluntly, and he half-laughed.

"Nice to see you too," he commented, and she grinned broader.

"Surprised?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.

"Exceedingly," he admitted. "I was expecting Mac, and not for another half hour at least. I take it you put Danny up to it?"

"Guilty as charged, Lieutenant," Stella said in a falsely sombre tone. "I was planning to surprise you at the lab, but I arrived just as you were leaving, so I had my cab follow you here. You really should have noticed you were being trailed."

"I should indeed," he laughed. "And what is it bringing you down here as opposed to Mac?"

"Well, Darius needed an escort, and Mac was called upon to testify in a child rape case," she said, her expression and tone sobering. "He couldn't risk backing out and letting a sick person like that walk away free. I worked the case along with you guys, and I'm just as reliable as a witness for the New York lab, so it seemed to make more sense than taking a chance on this child. Besides, he reckoned you might like to see me."

"Always," Horatio assured her with a smile. "And I understand completely – Mac did the right thing. It's never worth the risk when children are concerned."

"My sentiments exactly," Stella agreed quietly. "Maybe we should have told you in advance, but I just thought –"

"It's not a problem, trust me," he said. "You're more than welcome."

"What, because I'm helping you get Darius?" she joked.

"No," he said with a slight laugh. "Although I am grateful for that too, naturally. But like I told you last week, you will always be welcome in my lab. We could certainly use you."

"Use away – I'm here to help," she said immediately.

"You're not here to work, Detective," he chided her teasingly, and she laughed. "But I do appreciate the offer."

"Well, I'll be bored out of my mind if you don't let me help," Stella commented. "I've got two hands and all the knowledge, so just point me in the direction of the evidence and let me get to it. I reckon it's the least I can do after all the help you've been to us. Besides, I enjoy working with you, Horatio." He smiled a little.

"The feeling is mutual," he promised her. "But the least you can do is to join me for dinner tonight, and I won't take no for an answer. I'll cook."

"Then how can a girl refuse?" She seemed to hesitate a moment before continuing with her next sentence. "Horatio, I know I was joking around when I arrived, but … you really do look tired, you know. Have you been sleeping?"

"You sound like one of my CSIs," Horatio replied, and Stella rolled her eyes.

"I'll take that as a no, then," she said, and he didn't bother trying to contradict her. She sighed. "I may tease you about being hot on cases, Horatio, but there has to be a limit. What's bothering you this much? I mean, I thought Mac was bad for getting too personally involved in things, but you really are a case! There has to be a point where you say: 'No, my job is just my job. I will leave it at the lab, and when I go home at night, I will not toss and turn and have it eat me up inside.' You'll go insane if you don't."

"I know," he said softly, and he did. He knew he had to stop taking the office home with him every night, but it was difficult just to forget about all the hurt he saw day in, day out. He wasn't quite sure how to separate his emotions any more. "Stella, I do know, and I really appreciate it, but I just …"

"Horatio." He turned around, surprised, to find Yelina standing just behind him with a very strange look on her face, one that he couldn't quite fathom. She glanced briefly at Stella and then met his eye, almost defiantly.

"Yelina," he replied, still a little perplexed.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said pointedly, "but I just received my third phone call in ten minutes from the press, wanting to know everything I can tell them about Henry Darius. I didn't even know he was back in Florida yet, so I stuck with 'no comment.' Is there anything I should know before dealing with them again?"

"Uh, yes, Darius is back in Miami," Horatio answered, wondering what her sudden brusqueness was about. He had thought things were back to normal between them after the previous night. "He only arrived about an hour ago and is safely locked up."

"I would have appreciated a heads-up, Horatio," Yelina said coolly.

"That, uh, that was my fault, actually," Stella interrupted. "There was a misunderstanding with the flight details, and Horatio wasn't expecting us for another half hour or so. I should have called when we got to the airport, I know – I'm sorry, I guess I didn't really think it would matter all that much. Apparently I was wrong."

"Apparently," Yelina repeated, looking Stella up and down. Horatio could feel the tension between the women, and cleared his throat quietly.

"My apologies, ladies," he said mildly. "I seem to have forgotten my manners. Detective Yelina Salas, this is Detective Stella Bonasera, New York crime lab. Yelina was the lead detective working on catching Darius with me down here."

"Nice to meet you," Stella said, smiling, and Horatio noted how forced Yelina's own smile was.

"Likewise," she said simply. "If you'll excuse me, I'd better get back to it. Horatio, Ray Junior said he might like to stop by later, but if you're busy …"

"Never too busy for Ray," Horatio replied, smiling, and was rewarded with one, however brief, in return. "I'd like to see him. I finish around four, so any time after school is fine."

"I'll have him call before coming," Yelina replied, turning to walk away.

"Yelina, there's no need for that, he never –"

"He'll call," she repeated, looking over her shoulder at Horatio and fixing him with a gaze that he couldn't figure out. "I'll see you later, Horatio – good day, Detective Bonasera."

"Nice meeting you, Detective Salas," Stella answered, her eyebrows raised slightly in what Horatio assumed to be surprise at Yelina's abrupt manner. In all honesty, he was a little bemused himself – as far as he knew, he had done nothing to warrant her attitude, and seeing as Stella had only just arrived, it seemed impossible that she could have either. He motioned silently towards the door, and taking the hint, Stella walked with him from the building and out into the glaring sun.

"I'm sorry," she said, turning to him the second the door had swung shut behind them. "I didn't mean to offend her or cause you any problems …"

"No, I apologise," Horatio insisted. "I'm not quite sure what either of us may have done to upset her, but I am quite sure that it would not have been intentional, and it's not like her to be that way. So, I'm sorry, and it won't happen again."

"Not a problem," Stella assured him, and he smiled his gratitude. "So how long have you two been together, then?" He froze, stunned, and looked at her perplexedly.

"I beg your pardon?" he said, finding his mouth drier than it should be.

"Yelina and you," she said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. He frowned, wondering why she would assume such a thing, considering how very far from the truth it actually was.

"We're, uh, we're not together," he said finally, looking at her with his eyebrows raised. It was then her turn to frown, as her brow creased and her eyes darkened, and she looked up and met his gaze with a look of surprised thoughtfulness.

"Oh," she said slowly. "I'm sorry, I … I just assumed. I mean, the jealous way she reacted when I hugged you and we were talking, made it seem like … well, how **do** you know her?"

"She's a skilled Detective," Horatio said carefully, "and a valuable colleague." Stella fixed him with a piercing and disbelieving look.

"Horatio," was all she said, and he chuckled.

"She was married to my brother," he confessed. "You know Raymond died a few years ago; well, since then Yelina and I have been working together more and I've been more involved in her life for the sake of her son – my nephew – and … we've become a lot closer friends, but that's as far as it goes."

"And there's nothing there?" Stella pressed him. He had the unpleasant impression that she knew exactly how he felt about Yelina, but he wasn't about to admit to it.

"Nothing at all," he answered smoothly. She merely raised her eyebrows.

"Well, that was believable," she said with a half-smirk. He chuckled a little, unable to help himself, and led her to where he had parked the Hummer just around the corner. As he opened the door to let her in and she shot him an easy, relaxed smile, he felt his heart lighten just a little. Whatever problems he had to deal with now, he knew he could lean on Stella if he had to. She was a good friend, and that was something he could certainly use. He returned her smile happily, thinking to himself just how glad he was to have her around.

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**A/N2:** The next chapter will have very little to do with Horatio and Stella, just for a pre-warning. Thanks again for reading - all reviews are appreciated :)

Alison xx


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of CSI:Miami or CSI:NY. Sadly. *tear***

**A/N: Okay, the hiatus is over! I've had little to no inspiration to write anything other than NCIS for a LONG time, but I've decided it's really awful to leave other stories hanging, so my mission is to finish all the ones I've already started. I apologise profusely for the long delay in updates, but this fic is back on my priorities list, and I promise to keep writing it whenever I have time and inspiration. If you like it, please bear with me :) **

**This chapter is for Shining Zephyr, whose reviews I re-read and whose comments reminded me the direction this chapter was going, allowing me to pick up where I left off without going too out of character. Thanks loads, even though you didn't know you were doing it! Enjoy, everyone, and sorry again. I'll try to do better in future.**

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Yelina cursed under her breath as she dropped her fourth file in the past hour onto the floor, and its contents scattered in and around her cubicle. She slid from her chair and began gathering the papers quickly, hoping nobody had noticed, but a moment later a strong hand took her arm and pulled her gently backwards, away from the mess, and started picking up the sheets instead. She looked up and found herself face to face with Frank Tripp, her superior, one of Horatio's favourite Detectives, and a good friend. She let herself relax slightly as she eased to her feet and sat down again.

"Thank you, Frank," she said gratefully, taking the stack of papers from his outstretched hand and smiling at him as he got to his feet again.

"No problem," he said, smiling a little. "You all right, Yelina?"

"I'm fine," she answered, slightly surprised. "Just had a little clumsy moment, that's all. I appreciate the help, though."

"That makes at least three 'clumsy moments' in the past little while," Frank observed, and while Yelina might have taken offence at anybody else suggesting she was working to a sub-standard level, she could see in Frank's eyes that he was only concerned. "So do you maybe want to try answering that again?"

"Am I being interrogated now?" she joked, hoping to put him off. It didn't work.

"Yelina, you're one of the best Detectives in here, and one of the few I can actually tolerate having a conversation with," he responded, and his tone was so serious that she couldn't help laughing at that. "Now when you start losing focus on the job, I have to assume that something's bothering you, because you always give a hundred percent, and we both know it. And as your superior, I have to query that. But more importantly, as your friend, I have to make sure you're all right, off the record. What's going on, Yelina?"

Yelina ducked her head to hide her blush. What he said was so sweet, and she didn't feel like she even came close to deserving it. More than that, she was embarrassed about what was really distracting her, because it seemed so childish … The truth was, she couldn't stop thinking about Horatio and that other woman from New York, Detective Bonasera. It had totally stunned her to hear her refer to him as 'hot stuff,' and even more to hear him taking it in good humour, without a discernable trace of embarrassment. And Horatio was hardly the kind of man to go in for public displays of affection, and yet he had laughed and returned the fondness that Stella had shown him without so much as a second thought. In truth, Yelina was having a substantial amount of trouble wrapping her head around seeing Horatio act so differently to any way she had ever seen him before. He had seemed more comfortable with Stella than he ever had with any other colleagues, even Calleigh or Alexx, since Yelina had known him. It was true that he was occasionally that affectionate or relaxed with **her**, when they were in private, but it really was occasional, and it was absolutely never in front of anybody else, not even Ray Junior. The only conclusion she felt she could reasonably draw was that there must be something going on between Horatio and Stella, and although that did bother her, what was bothering her more was that she couldn't figure out why it got to her so much. But she'd rather die than discuss any of this with Frank, who was still watching her, waiting for an answer.

"Oh, really, it's nothing," she insisted, knowing full well that he knew she was lying, and that he knew that she knew. "It's silly. It's just that Ray Junior's been acting a little strangely the past couple of days, and I had an odd conversation with him yesterday … I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, though. I'm just being overprotective."

"Mother's prerogative," he replied, but she could tell he was still extremely doubtful. It wasn't a lie, what she had told him – she really was worried about Ray. It just wasn't what she was most worried about at this moment in time.

"I like to think so," she smiled. "I'm sorry for letting myself get distracted, Frank – I don't know why I let it bother me so much at work. It won't happen again."

"It's not about it happening again or not, Yelina," he said quietly. "I told you already, this is off the record. I was just worried about you. Nobody expects you to be superhuman, you know. You're allowed to only give ninety-nine percent every so often, and knowing you it will be extremely rarely. Just … just give yourself a break, yeah? You work yourself too hard a lot of the time. You can't go taking on more responsibility than you have to."

"Thank you," she said, and she really meant it. "I'll remember that. And thank you, you know, for not taking this to the professional level. I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem," Frank assured her with a half-smile. "I'd better get back to it, but you take a break if you want to, all right? Don't get too stressed out. Just let me know if you need anything."

"I will," Yelina promised. He nodded, still not seeming totally satisfied, and made his way back to his own cubicle. She sat back in her chair for a moment, lost in thought, and then she shook herself ever so slightly. She sat up straighter, calling out to his retreating back. "Frank?"

"Yeah?" he said, turning back to face her. She bit her lip, undecided for a moment, and then made a split-second decision.

"I think I will take a break after all," she said, grabbing her jacket. "I'll try to be back in about fifteen minutes, if that's okay?"

"How about you take your lunch now and I'll see you in an hour?" he responded with a wink. "And if you're back here before then, you'll have me to answer to, am I understood?" Yelina smiled.

"Perfectly," she assured him. "Thanks, Frank."

"No problem," he said. "Now get going." Knowing when to stop, Yelina shot him a grateful smile and left the building, pulling her cell phone from her pocket as she left. Stepping out into the warm Florida sunshine, she absently tucked a few stray curls behind her ear and looked up at the sky. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment, and allowed a peaceful smile to cross her face as she let it out. The heat on her face was pleasant but not overwhelming, and she opened her eyes again feeling already better. Whatever was going on between Horatio and his New York Detective was none of her business, and she didn't want to let it get to her any longer. Resolved on that, she flipped open her cell phone, hesitating only a moment before hitting the necessary button and holding it up to her ear.

"Hey," said the familiar voice on the other end, and she couldn't help but smile a little at his cheerful tone. He, at least, was happy to hear from her. "This is a surprise."

"Well, Frank just about ordered me out of the door," she admitted, laughing softly. "I just wondered if you were able to get away for lunch any time soon, but don't worry about it if you can't. It was just a thought."

"I'll meet you in five minutes. Where do you fancy?"

"How about that little café just on the corner next to your office?" Yelina asked, thinking of the cute little place and how they had the best pastries in the area. She and Horatio had gone there once or twice when they had been working cases together and had shared lunches, and she liked the atmosphere. She refused to give heed to the little voice at the back of her mind that suggested she only liked **because** it reminded her of Horatio. A ridiculous notion, she thought scornfully, and not one she was going to waste time worrying over.

"Sounds perfect – I'll see you there." The click at the other end of the line told her that the conversation was over, and she half-smiled as she too hung up and started walking in the direction of the little bistro at a leisurely pace.

She enjoyed walking in this part of town, particularly during the day. The local schools had their lunch hour around this time, and she laughed slightly as she passed crowds of young girls sitting gossiping on walls, and groups of boys watching them from across the way. She thought Ray Junior might not quite be at that age yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time, if it hadn't started already. She wasn't sure whether to be sad or excited about the first time he would bring a girl home, if she was honest with herself. Probably a bit of both. Even so, it lifted her spirits to see kids being kids, untouched by the tragedy she dealt with every day in her line of work. She liked to have these occasional reminders that not all was twisted or destroyed in the world, not yet, anyway. It gave her hope.

"Hey," Yelina said with a smile, approaching the small but comfortable table just outside the café where her lunch date sat awaiting her.

"Hey yourself." Rick smiled back at her as she sat down, and he leant around the table and gave her a quick kiss. She knew that, had she been meeting Horatio, he would have stood up and waited for her to sit down, but she pushed the thought away firmly. That was such an outdated concept, anyway. She was glad Rick treated her as an equal. "I took the liberty of ordering for you," he said. "I hope that's okay."

"Of course. So, uh, how's your morning been?" she asked him, trying to keep the conversation on very neutral terms. He half-laughed.

"Interesting," he replied, accompanying it with an eye roll. "I've been conducting a few more interviews about Speedle's death, and, well, let's just say his team-mates aren't exactly making it easy for me. You know your brother-in-law actually brought out his own tape recorder and recorded our session?"

"He did?" Yelina was surprised. That was a bit harsh, even considering how Horatio felt about Rick. "Did he say why?"

"Of course not," Rick answered with a wry smile. "Everything's Horatio's way and no questions asked, you ought to know that by now. It's no wonder I'm not getting anywhere with this investigation. I'll give him one thing, though: he's got that team of his well trained. Not one of them would dare say a bad word against him, or against anything in that department, and they're making sure I know it. Whether it's because they care about him too much or because they're afraid to, I don't know yet."

"Oh, Rick!" Yelina half-laughed. "I know you two don't like one another, but you don't seriously believe that he's got his CSIs scared into submission?!" She had heard some ludicrous things before, but she couldn't imagine anybody who knew Horatio and hadn't done him any grievous harm ever fearing him.

"Like I said, I'm not sure yet," he said with a shrug. "It's not as unbelievable as you might think, Yelina. Have you ever seen him angry?"

"Plenty of times, I assure you," she said.

"Ever had that anger directed towards you?" Rick pressed, and she stopped for a moment. It was true – whenever she had seen Horatio get truly angry, it had always been with somebody else. They had had their arguments before, sure, but those always consisted of her getting angry and shouting, and him trying to calm her down, if anybody got angry at all. She didn't think he had ever actually raised his voice towards her.

"No, I suppose not," she admitted. "But that's because he very rarely **gets** angry, and if he does it's almost never with his friends."

"You mean it's not with you," he corrected her, and she frowned.

"What does that mean?" she demanded, raising one eyebrow. He looked up at her, and then he sighed softly and shook his head.

"Nothing," he said. "Forget I mentioned it. How are you feeling today?"

"Rick," she said coolly. He sighed again.

"Well, I didn't want to get into this, but since you insist," he snapped. "All I was going to say was that it's quite obvious you're more to Horatio than a friend." Yelina sat back in her chair, perplexed.

"Well, of course I am!" she replied, watching him curiously. "We're family, Rick, you know that. It's important to me, and to Horatio, and most of all to Ray Junior, that we're all close. It's only natural that he should see me as more than just another friend – I **am** the mother of his nephew, his brother's wife. Family matters to him, and to me."

"Yeah, which would be fine, if he'd take the time to remember that you're family from time to time," Rick retorted. "He doesn't see you as a sister, Yelina, don't be so naïve!"

"Naïve?" she gasped. "If you have something to say, why don't you just say it?!"

"Horatio is in love with you!" he cried, sounding exasperated. "Maybe he has been since your husband was alive, I don't know! All I know is that he looks at you like more than his sister, and he looks at me with the worst case of the green-eyed monster I've ever seen. I never went into this with the intention of hurting anybody, but he seems to think I stole you away from him or something."

"'Stole me away'?" Yelina repeated in disbelief.

"Yes!" Rick snapped. "Honestly, I don't know how you don't see it! It's obvious to everyone in the world, except you, apparently, that he's mad about you. He's clearly had some trouble understanding the fact that it was his brother you loved, and not him. And I feel bad for the guy, I do, because he doesn't seem to have anyone else, but it's not my fault or yours that he can't get over you."

"I really don't see where you're getting any of this from," she insisted, her head spinning. Horatio, in love with her? Of course she had hoped, had allowed herself to dream it secretly, in the back of her mind, but … never once had she imagined that it might ever be close to true. Even now she didn't believe it, but she was afraid that she might accidentally let something slip to show how she really felt, that her face or reaction might betray her true feelings. "Horatio does not see me in that way – we're a family, and a close one, but that's all. If anybody sees more in that than there is than that's their issue, not mine."

"All I'm saying is that you guys are really the only people he loves," Rick said slowly, with the air of someone choosing his words carefully. "It's not implausible that he might get certain types of love confused with others, especially when you're his only real concerns in this world."

"I wouldn't quite say that," Yelina muttered to herself, thinking of Madison, Suzie and Stella. It appeared that Horatio had quite a lot in his life, a lot that he chose not to talk to her about for reasons she didn't know. She had to wonder if she really knew him as well as she had thought she did. Rick raised his eyebrows inquisitively.

"What does that mean?" he asked, sounding interested, and she looked away quickly. As far as she knew, Suzie and Madison had been kept from everybody, not just her, and she really had no right to tell Rick anything about Horatio's private life. Then again, she was in a relationship with the man, and even Horatio should respect that partners shared things. She knew that, no matter what Rick felt for Horatio, he would keep the secret if she asked him to. And Horatio had certainly made no attempt to keep his emotions a secret when Detective Bonasera had arrived. Surely there was nothing wrong with telling Rick the truth in order to set him straight, salvage their relationship, and maybe even lessen his resentment towards Horatio? It seemed to be a win-win situation.

"We're not his only concerns in this world," she said a little louder, sitting back slightly as a waiter appeared with their food. Rick had done a supremely average job of ordering for her, she discovered, as her meal was set down in front of her. He had tried to order something exotic and different, for which she loved his enthusiasm, but in doing so he had made the mistake of ordering dishes he didn't know, and she didn't like. But she smiled obligingly, surveying the selection with feigned interest.

"See something you like?" he asked, and she nodded, smiling.

"Everything looks wonderful," she lied, not wanting to hurt his feelings. "Thank you."

"Good," Rick said, and seeing how relieved and pleased he looked, she was glad she had spared his feelings. The waiter took his leave of them, and Rick began to dig in straight away. Yelina felt slightly put out that he hadn't waited for her to be ready, but reminded herself once again that this was the twentieth century. She didn't need to be waited on. She placed her napkin in her lap and began to eat from the dishes she recognised and could tolerate, hoping Rick would devour the rest before she got to them.

"Mm, lovely," she said, glancing up and meeting his eye, and he nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," he said after swallowing. "It's good. So, uh, what were you saying about Horatio before? About you and Ray?"

"Oh …" Yelina swallowed her mouthful, suddenly slightly sorry that she'd mentioned it, but knowing full well she couldn't keep the secret now. "Well, I was just saying that he has more in his life than just us. He's just a very private sort of man, that's all, so most people don't know about it. But I assure you, we're far from his only concerns."

"I never meant to imply you were just a concern, you know," Rick said softly, placing his hand over hers on the table. "I shouldn't have said it that way. I just meant that you're all he has, really. So, I'm sorry. But please, go on. What else do you mean when you say he has other concerns, more in his life? Who?"

"Does it matter?" she asked, hoping to evade the question. He frowned.

"Well, not as such, but you were the one who brought it up," he said, sounding a little hurt. Her heart went out to him – what kind of a person was she, treating him this way? Dating him while having illicit feelings for another man, for her brother-in-law, and then keeping more secrets on top of that? Rick was a good man, and he didn't deserve to be hurt. She turned her hand palm-upwards and squeezed his fingers reassuringly, determined to be better to him from now on.

"You're right," she said. "I did. I guess I thought I needed to talk about it."

"Why, is something the matter?" he asked, concern flooding his eyes immediately. She smiled a little.

"No, nothing," she promised him. "It's just that these, um, other concerns, of Horatio's, are pretty new discoveries even for me. I suppose I've been feeling a little hurt because he didn't seem to want to trust me with them. I didn't tell you before because I know how much you dislike him and how insecure our friendship sometimes makes you."

"It does," Rick admitted. "But I trust you, and when you tell me that you love Horatio as a brother and that you want him around for the sake of family, then I believe you, and … and I promise, from now on, I'll try harder to respect that, okay? But if he's been keeping things from you, I can see why you'd feel upset at that, and I wouldn't fly off the handle. I want you to be able to talk to me, Yelina. If you need someone, then I want to be the one who's there for you, and I **will** be there for you. Okay?" Yelina smiled fully for the first time in a while, and gripped his hand tighter, meeting his gaze and holding it.

"Okay," she agreed, nodding a little. "I'm sorry. I know you're always there, and I should have just come to you. I suppose I was trying to be there for you by not bringing Horatio up around you any more than I had to."

"You're sweet," he told her, reaching up and scuffing her cheek lightly. "But I'll get over my issues with Horatio, because I know how much he means to you. And no matter how I feel about him, this isn't about him. It's about how you feel, and that much I really do care about. So come on. Spill." Yelina couldn't ignore the slight squirm in the pit of her stomach as she thought once more of how much better than her Rick deserved, but she knew she couldn't bear to tell him everything. She didn't deserve his admiration, but she was more grateful than he knew to have it nonetheless. And she would be able to put Horatio out of her mind if she really tried, she knew she would. Especially now that Stella was in the picture, and Madison too. Her future lay with Rick, and she resolved to do everything she could to make it work from then on.

"Horatio has a … he has a daughter," she said quickly, determined to be as honest as she could bear. She saw Rick's eyes widen, but now that she had started, she had to keep going before she lost her nerve. "She's very adorable and looks just like him, and he's supporting her and her mother, from what I can tell. And she must be at least four, and he never once thought to mention her. And there's a woman, too – you'll see her later, I expect – she's from New York, down visiting as of this morning. I don't know if they're actually dating or what the situation is, but they seemed very close, and once again, he never breathed a word about her. She just showed up, just like Madison did."

"Wow." Rick had been eating as she spoke, and he sat back in his chair now, looking stunned and watching her. "What does the woman look like?"

"Uh, around my height, foreign looks, long, brown, curly hair …"

"Sweetie, are you sure you weren't looking in a mirror?" Yelina rolled her eyes and flicked a pea subtly across the table towards him in response.

"No!" she said, half-laughing. "She was Greek. Her name's Stella Bonasera, she's a Detective from the New York crime lab, and she gets away with hugging Horatio and calling him 'hot stuff' in public. And that's what makes me suspect there's something going on between them, because even you know enough to know that's hardly his style."

"That's certainly true," Rick agreed vehemently. "I can't believe he lets anybody act like that around him in front of others. That's … that's definitely given me food for thought." Yelina opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by her cell phone ringing. She shot him an apologetic look and answered it quickly.

"Detective Salas," she said, nodding once to Rick to signal that he should call for the waiter and their check.

"Yelina, it's Frank," the gruff voice said, and she smiled a little.

"Hey, have I gone over an hour?" she asked him teasingly, knowing fine well she still had plenty of time to return to work. She heard what might have been a chuckle on the other end, but wasn't sure whether or not to believe her own ears.

"Hardly," Frank said. "Just wanted to let you know that after lunch I need you to head over to the Crime Lab – I've sent over some evidence for Horatio, and he says they need a Detective down there in about twenty minutes to question a suspect, so just go straight there from lunch and come back here whenever you're done."

"Uh, did Horatio say who was working the case?" Yelina asked, none too keen to have to face Horatio after this morning's incident.

"No, why?"

"No reason," she said quickly, not wanting to push her luck. Frank had been really good to her today, and she wasn't about to start making demands from him. "That's fine, Frank, I'll head over there right away."

"All right, thanks. See you later."

"Bye." She hung up and slipped her phone away, shrugging into her jacket, and Rick followed her example, having paid their bill. He came around to her side of the table, waiting for her to stand up, and then they walked together in a companionable silence back to the Crime Lab, in the same building as Rick's office. He saw her to the third floor, and when they stepped into the foyer, the first thing she saw was Horatio and Stella just through a pane of glass, bent **very** close over a microscope. She couldn't see Stella's face, but Horatio was laughing, and that in itself made her curious enough. Horatio wasn't the kind of man to slack off, and yet here he was, messing around in Trace. She turned away from them to look back at Rick, only to find him looking in the exact same direction.

"That her?" he asked, jerking his head in Stella's direction. Yelina turned to make sure neither of the others had noticed them, and then faced him again.

"Yes," she confirmed. "Detective Stella Bonasera. And no mirrors involved."

"Pity," Rick joked. "I wouldn't say no to another one of you."

"Charmer," she retorted. He shrugged, a boyish smirk on his face.

"I try," he answered. "I'd better get back upstairs – I'll give you a call after work, okay? And if you need anything, you know where to find me."

"I do know," Yelina said with a smile. "Thank you, but … I'll be fine."

"All right, well, I'll speak to you later, then," Rick said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. He then ducked back into the elevator, and she smiled after him as the doors closed, obscuring him from view. She then turned back towards the Trace lab, and her eyes locked with a pair of electric blue ones. She held Horatio's gaze defiantly for a few moments, and when he didn't smile or make a move, she set her jaw exasperatedly and turned again on her heel, looking for Eric or Calleigh to ask about the case instead. She would not let Horatio Caine inside her head. Not this time.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks again to all you loyal readers who have come back to this fic, and I hope this makes up for the delay a little. I'd love to hear from you, letting me know if you're still interested in this, and what you think about it. It's been a long time since I last wrote it, so comments are greatly appreciated!**

**Alison xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I only own the plot. If I owned anything else, I'd be RICH, I tells ya, RICH!! .... But I don't.**

**A/N: Haha, surprise! To make up for the delay, I'm posting the next chapter as well. Somehow I managed to write two ... no idea how. The one after this is currently half-done, but I do have other fics to catch up on, so the next update won't be immediate. I am working on it though. Thanks to all of you, and hopefully the double update will prevent you from coming after me with pitchforks! Enjoy ...**

"You all right?" Stella asked, looking up from the microscope with a crease in her brow. Horatio removed his gaze from Yelina's retreating figure and smiled at her, knowing that she would see right through it immediately.

"Of course," he said, and she merely raised one eyebrow. She then straightened up and glanced over her shoulder, and then caught his eye knowingly.

"Ah," she said simply, taking a step back. "Say no more."

"Stella …"

"Horatio, before you even attempt to apologise, you should remember that you're not the only one in the room who knows how to handle a gun," Stella warned him, a gleam in her eye. He couldn't help but laugh a little at that. He was really enjoying her company, despite having only been in it again for a few hours. She was bright and bubbly with an amazing sense of humour, and she always knew exactly when to say the right thing and when to back off. He was, in fact, more grateful than she could probably imagine to have someone to talk to who wasn't personally involved with anybody else in his life. It was a real relief to be able to talk freely without worrying what she might think or who she might tell about what he said.

"That is very true," he acknowledged, bowing his head slightly. "I suppose I'd better watch my step, in that case."

"Damn straight," Stella agreed, nodding in a satisfied sort of way. "I am here for you to lean on and to talk to about anything and everything you want to, Horatio, and you're also allowed to show emotion in front of me, even though you might not want to in front of the rest of your team. I'm special."

"No argument here," Horatio replied with a smile, and she grinned bashfully.

"Do you always talk to women this way?" she asked him.

"What way might that be?"

"You know. Little teasing comments, a bit of charm every few sentences, flirtatious jokes when you're supposed to be working. Is it reserved for strangers, or is this how you act around all the women you know?" He smiled a little.

"Just the attractive ones," he responded, and she laughed appreciatively.

"Question answered," she informed him tartly. "Well, let me tell you, if your Yelina isn't floored by it, considering how much you care for her on top of it, she's a fool."

"Now who's the charmer?" he shot back.

"Still you, Lieutenant," answered Stella, removing the small slide from the microscope and inserting it into the machine on her right. She pressed a couple of buttons and then turned back to face him, the smirk on her face replaced by a look of knowing concern. She reminded him forcibly of Alexx as she stepped a little closer, furrowing her brow.

"What?" he asked bemusedly, looking down into her anxious gaze. "Stella, what's the matter? Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I am," she assured him. "I just … this is really affecting you, isn't it?"

"What is?"

"This business with Yelina. Work. Whatever else is going on in that head of yours. I can see it in your eyes, Horatio. I worried about you in New York, and I worry more here. I thought up there you were homesick, but I was wrong."

"Stella, I assure you, I am fine," he said quietly, and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm well aware of the fact," she said, with a hint of sarcasm to her tone, but he knew she wasn't really annoyed. "But let's pretend for a second that you aren't in your little 'being fine' world, and look at reality, okay? First of all, you're miserable. Second of all, you were **less** miserable when taken out of here, away from everyone you love and the place you've grown to call home. That doesn't add up, not even close. And thirdly, I don't think you realise just how unhappy you are. I look at you and I see a totally different man to the one I first met six months ago, Horatio. You've changed so much, and it's not for the better. Something's really broken you."

Horatio hesitated a moment, not sure what to say. The truth was, there was one thing that had changed him. He had his problems with Yelina, Ray Junior, Suzie and Madison, and he had issues at work, with Stetler and on cases, and it was true, things had been starting to get him down. But he thought that when he had really stopped being in control was when Speedle had died. He had watched a colleague and friend die right before his eyes, and it hadn't been the first time. But Speed had been the youngest he had ever lost, and it had really affected him. He had never told anybody just how deeply his guilt over Tim's death was rooted, or exactly how long he had spent pondering the what-ifs of the situation. But he knew Stella was different, and he felt a surge of affection for her just then. She wasn't just another colleague who had become a friend, not really. They had only ever worked together for something like a grand total of twenty hours, give or take, and yet he felt closer to her than nearly anybody else. She was a friend first, and colleague came way down the list, and that was new for him. He smiled a little.

"You, uh … you're right," he admitted quietly, and she started a little, caught off guard, he suspected, by his openness. "I have changed. A lot has happened that I couldn't control, and I wish I could change, but I can't. And if you really are sure that you can put up with my cooking –"

"I'm reserving judgement," she assured him with a laugh, which he returned.

" – then I would really appreciate your ear, Stella."

"Well, I got two of 'em," she reminded him. "Both yours for the borrowing, any time you need them, okay?"

"All right," he agreed. "And you know that goes both ways, right?"

"I know," she said, smiling.

"Okay, good," Horatio said. "But this is neither the time nor the place, so if I promise to behave myself tonight and tell you all you want to know, can we agree to leave it at that for the time being?"

"Of course," Stella promised him. "And it's not about 'wanting to know,' for the record. It's about wanting to help."

"You're allowed to do both," he responded, and she chuckled.

"Then I might admit to a little curiosity," she joked. "Now, there is just one more thing before we get back to the evidence."

"And what might that be?"

"You need a hug," she informed him bluntly. He opened his mouth to contradict her assumption, but her arms were already around his neck and her body pressed close to his, offering him warmth and comfort. He sighed and enveloped her in his arms, too tired to fight any more. The truth was, there was a lot Horatio Caine could cope with, but even he needed a strong shoulder sometimes, and the one his head was resting on was the strongest he had ever found. Stella squeezed him for a moment before they both pulled away, and to his surprise, there was no awkwardness. She smiled, and he returned it.

"Thank you," he said simply, and she nodded in understanding.

"Any time," she answered. "Now, I am going to go and call Mac and see how his trial's going, if that's okay with you, and then I'll get back to working the trace on the rope from your Dawson case. You babysitting?"

"I trust you," he said with a wink. "You've got my number if you get anything, or if there's anything else. Just call."

"Hey, I got you on speed dial, remember," she reminded him, shooting him a cheeky grin as he backed out of the room. He laughed to himself and turned away, shaking his head in mock despair as he headed for the interrogation room. Frank had managed to track down Romero Garcia, and it was time to find out exactly what he knew. Horatio slowed his pace as he reached the door, seeing who was standing outside. He cleared his throat softly, and she turned to face him, her face blank.

"Frank said you needed a Detective." Even her voice was hard.

"I do," he confirmed. "But I think Mr Garcia can do with stewing for another five minutes or so. Can we talk?"

"What's to talk about?" she asked, looking determinedly away from him and through the glass at his suspect. He took a step closer, just as resolute as she was.

"Something that would be better kept private," he responded. "My office?" She looked up into his eyes, not saying a word. "Yelina …" he said gently, and that seemed to do it. He saw her eyes soften, and she let out a quiet sigh.

"All right," she said. "Your office." He nodded silently, sensing some remaining hostility in her tone, and stepped aside to let her pass him. She shot him a look that he couldn't quite make out, and then walked past him with her head high, making her way briskly past him and straight towards his office without so much as a glance in his direction. He closed the door behind them and perched on his desk, watching her as she stood stiffly looking out of his window. He flicked absently through a folder on his desk, half-smiling as he realised it was over a month old. He spent far too much time in work, and far too little in his office. It was very rarely used, as he always seemed to have a million and one other things to do. Paperwork tended to fall by the wayside, and was only done when he remembered to take it home with him. He glanced up at Yelina again to find she hadn't moved an inch. He sighed softly.

"Yelina," he said quietly, and she started a little, turning to look at him with defiance blazing in her mesmerizing eyes.

"You said you wanted to talk," she challenged him. "So talk."

"All right," he conceded evenly. "You're right, I do want to talk. I want to know what's going on with you today. I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine."

"Okay." Horatio smiled a little, thinking of Stella's reaction when he had tried to fool her the same way. "Okay, you're fine. I accept that. But you've been avoiding me and snapping at me all morning, and that's not like you. And you're normally one of the friendliest people I know, but at the PD earlier you didn't seem yourself. I just wondered if there was something you wanted to tell me."

"Everyone has off days, Horatio," she said coolly. He bowed his head a little.

"True," he admitted. "I just don't want you to be angry with me. You seemed to have a nice time last night, but today you've barely said two words, and it doesn't quite add up. You know you can talk to me if you need anything, Yelina."

"What makes you think I need anything?" she demanded defensively, and he met her eye with the best calming gaze he could muster.

"I didn't say that –" he began, but she cut him off.

"You implied it," she retorted. "I don't always need something from you, Horatio. You don't have to protect me and look after me all the time. I'm not incapable of doing so for myself, in case you hadn't realised that."

"As a matter of fact, I'd noticed," he said quietly. "And I never meant to suggest that I didn't think you could take care of yourself. I was only reminding you that I'm here for you, just in case you do need me. If not then that's perfectly all right too, but nobody can do everything alone."

"You manage pretty well," she said sourly, and something in her tone surprised him. She sounded almost bitter. He frowned a little.

"Yelina, what's going on?" he asked her again, never once raising his voice but allowing a little more of his annoyance at being ignored slip into his tone. She caught his eye for a second before looking back out of the window.

"Why is it all right for you to keep everything in your life a secret from everyone, including your family, but it's not all right for me to have this one thing you don't know about?" she asked finally, her voice sounding thick. He closed his eyes for a moment, having finally realised what was bothering her. He didn't know why, but she was upset that he hadn't mentioned Stella to her before now, and he suspected that the business with Suzie and Madison wasn't helping either. He swallowed.

"Yelina, it's not about keeping things secret," he said carefully. "It's just that my life has a way of getting very complicated very quickly, and I don't want to worry anybody else unnecessarily."

"We're supposed to be a family!" she snapped back bitterly. "We worry about each other because we care, damn it! How do you think it makes me feel, Horatio?! How do you think I feel when I find these things out by total accident, at a crime scene or in my office, because you've failed, for once, to manage to hide them away?! It makes me feel betrayed, like you don't trust me, and that hurts. What the hell is the point in being a family if you can't communicate with me about important things like that?"

"I understand why you're upset about Madison …" he began slowly, but she cut him off.

"No, actually, I can almost wrap my head around that one," she said. "I can see that it was very difficult for you. She was an informant; your job was on the line. I still wish you had known you could come to me and I would have kept it a secret, but I can understand why that one was too risky for you. But I really cannot fathom why you felt the need to hide your relationship with Stella from me, Horatio. I know it's not necessarily my business, but if she's going to be a part of your life, that will make her a part of Ray Junior's as well, and that does concern me, whether you like it or not. If you're in a serious enough relationship to invite her down here, then –"

"Yelina," he interrupted more loudly than he had intended to. She fell silent, looking at him defiantly. "Yelina, I am not in a relationship with Stella," he said, making each word very clear. "She's a friend, and a very good friend, but nothing more. She's down here to escort Darius and to testify to the New York crimes and court proceedings, and I'm glad to see her, as a friend. If I were in any sort of relationship that might affect Ray, I can assure you that you would be the first to know about it."

"Is that so?" she asked quietly, her temper seeming to have cooled off a little, but still not looking entirely convinced.

"Yes, it is," he replied steadily.

"Well excuse me if I have trouble believing you after all the lies you've told me."

"I can't force you to believe me, Yelina," Horatio said, sighing a little. "But I would hope that you would see that anything I've kept from you has been for a very good reason, and I would have no reason to hide a relationship. If I were seeing someone, Stella or anyone else, I might not talk openly about it, but you would know by now if it were as serious as you seem to think it is. Surely you know me at least that well."

"That's just the problem, Horatio," Yelina answered, turning fully around so that she was looking him in the face. He could see her eyes shining with unshed tears. "I'm not sure that I do know you any more." He raised his eyebrows, stunned by this admission, and also a little hurt. She swallowed and took a step backwards.

"Yelina …" he began, not sure how to finish, but she saved him the trouble.

"We should go," she said softly. "Romero Garcia won't wait forever. This isn't the time to be having this conversation."

"Well when is the time, then?" he asked determinedly. He didn't want to lose Yelina as a friend, or risk his relationship with Ray Junior, to protect his brother's secret.

"Why don't you come find me when your life is a little less complicated?" Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away from him, back towards the interrogation room where their suspect was waiting. Horatio sighed to himself, resolving to swallow his pride and tell Stella everything. He was sick of bottling everything up, and he could certainly use her wisdom on this one. Besides, she seemed already to know how he felt for Yelina, which made it a whole lot easier. He got to his feet and made his way back to where Yelina and Garcia were waiting for him, feeling only slightly better with the knowledge that he wouldn't be dealing with it alone after tonight.

He stepped out of interrogation with Yelina about twenty minutes later, closing the door softly behind him. There was something definitely fishy about Romero Garcia's story, but he couldn't yet prove it. Yelina turned to face him, her facial expression telling him quite clearly that she would not continue their conversation from earlier at the present moment.

"What do you think, then?" she asked him. He shook his head a little.

"Have him held overnight, see if that makes him any more cooperative," he said.

"And if he asks why I'm holding him?"

"Tell him, just because you can," Horatio answered, feeling slightly vindictive towards the man he was sure was a murderer. He hated letting these creeps back out onto the streets, even if it was only until he found the evidence he needed. He always worried that the time in between would be long enough for them to strike again, and so he did all he could to keep them locked up, 'just because he could.' Yelina chuckled a little.

"I think that answer riles them up more when you say it," she told him, her tone slightly playful. He half-smiled.

"I'm sure you'll pull it off admirably," he assured her. She opened her mouth as if to respond, but just then his cell phone rang in his pocket. "Excuse me," he said apologetically, taking it out and checking the screen.

"Of course," Yelina said, waving away his apology. Stella was calling. He answered.

"Hey," he said into the mouthpiece, conscious that Yelina was still watching him and waiting patiently for him to be finished. "Can I call you back?"

"I'll only keep you a second," Stella promised him, and he could imagine her grinning on the other end of the line. "But you're going to want to hear this, trust me." He smiled a little, glad to hear her cheerful voice.

"Well you'd better share then," he responded, and she laughed.

"You'd be better seeing it for yourself," she replied. "Meet me in Layout?"

"I'll be there soon," he agreed, and Stella hung up. He replaced his cell in his pocket and turned back to Yelina, who looked very slightly put out.

"Detective Bonasera?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah, she's found something on the rope. She says it's something I'd want to see for myself, which I must admit has me intrigued."

"Well, you'll have to let me know what it is," Yelina commented. "It sounds interesting."

"You're welcome to come and look," he said. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then an uncertain smile crossed her face.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Of course," he reassured her. "Come on – she's in Layout." He led the way along the two corridors they had to traverse to reach Stella, and opened the door to allow Yelina in before him. Stella looked up as they entered and smiled broadly at them, carefully putting down the length of rope she had been holding.

"I see you've brought me an audience," she joked. Horatio smiled, but Yelina looked unsure.

"If you'd prefer I left …" she said doubtfully, but Stella waved her off.

"No, no, don't be stupid," she insisted. "Any excuse to put on a show. Okay, we know that Clarissa Dawson was choked and tortured with this rope before she was shot, right?"

"Are you going to talk us through the entire case?" Horatio asked.

"Just, bear with me, all right?" Stella said, gesturing for them both to come around to her side of the table. "So, I figured we should be able to lift her DNA from the middle of the rope, and the killer's from either end."

"Standard assumption," Horatio agreed.

"Right. But when I lifted the DNA from either end, there were three sets. The bottom belonged to your victim, and the second to an unknown female. The third set belonged to your suspect, Romero Garcia."

"Maybe she struggled with her attacker," Yelina suggested. "There could be two killers."

"I thought of that," Stella said, nodding. "So I went to the middle of the rope, and that's where it gets really bizarre. Clarissa Dawson's DNA **was** where I expected it to be, but it was underneath some other trace."

"But if she was choked with it, her skin cells should have been the last thing to touch it before we reached the scene," Horatio pointed out.

"Exactly. It just doesn't make any sense. Anyway, I ran the trace I lifted, and it came back as vanilla extract and cucumber mixed with olive oil."

"A type of facemask," Yelina supplied, and Stella nodded to confirm. Horatio frowned.

"So what are your conclusions, then?" he asked, looking up at Stella.

"Well, I know it's going to sound crazy," she said, "but hear me out. What if Clarissa Dawson was originally the attacker? Another woman was in that house – we thought that anyway because of the shoes in the closet."

"Which shoes are these?" Yelina asked, looking confused. Horatio stepped in.

"We found several pairs of shoes in a bedroom closet," he explained. "Women's heels, but in size six. Clarissa Dawson was a three and a half."

"Which made you think another woman had been living there, or at least visiting," Stella took over. "But it was unsubstantiated. But if that's true, it could explain the trace."

"Go on," Horatio said interestedly. Stella held out two pairs of gloves.

"Glove up," she told them with a smirk. "If Detective Salas doesn't mind joining in, then I'll show you exactly what I think happened there."

"Well, forensics really isn't my area –" Yelina began, but Stella cut her off.

"Don't worry, it's really straightforward. You just need to hold the rope and step where I ask you. I just want to do a demonstration to see if my theory checks out." She brandished the gloves again, and Yelina took a pair, smiling a little. Horatio shrugged and took the other pair, snapping them on.

"This should be interesting," he commented. "I haven't participated in one of these for quite a while."

"Well, you can be my puppet for a few minutes. Now, if Detective Salas –"

"Please, Yelina," Yelina interrupted. Horatio glanced down at her, surprised, and she smiled ever so slightly. He returned it, sensing a breakthrough. Stella looked pleasantly surprised.

"Stella," she said with a nod. "Okay, so, Yelina, if you wouldn't mind being Clarissa Dawson, I'll play unknown female, and Horatio, you can be Romero Garcia."

"What do I do, then?" Yelina asked, and Stella held out the rope to her.

"Here," she said, handing it over. "Now, imagine I – unknown female – am your friend, roommate, or whoever it was staying in that room. You're angry with me, for whatever reason. So you decide to kill me."

"We only found one body," Horatio said, bemused. Stella swatted at him.

"I told you to bear with me," she chastised him. "So come on. Yelina – Clarissa Dawson – is going to murder me. She decides to strangle me. She surprises me when I'm busy preening myself. I have my facemask on, so I can't really see properly. She comes towards me –" Stella gestured, and Yelina stepped towards her, rope out "– and she's holding the rope at either end. Hence, her DNA on the ends, underneath the other two sets I found. But before she can kill me, I realise her plan, and we struggle." She took Yelina's wrists in her own and mimed struggling. She then took the rope in her own hands. "I'm scared for my life, so when I get a hold of the rope, I act without thinking." She turned the rope in her own hands and stepped towards Yelina. "**I** go after **her**. That explains the second set of DNA, and Clarissa's in the middle. When I can't gather the strength, I grab the rifle from the rack on the wall nearby and shoot her. Then Romero Garcia comes in –" she pulled Horatio towards her "– and sees me. He's finds Clarissa dead and realises I did it, so he takes the rope from where I dropped it." She handed the rope to Horatio, who took it, understanding where she was taking this. "He then strangles me. His DNA is now on top, at either end of the rope, and because I have a facemask on, it rubs off onto the rope, disguising my DNA from the middle. He then disposes of my body, but doesn't have time to dispose of Clarissa's before the cops arrive, so he runs, hoping they'll pin her death on me, never find me, and the case will be closed. That also explains why you didn't get a fingerprint match to Garcia on the rifle when you first ran it. He's already in the system, so you would have got a match. But he never handled the rifle. The prints match our unknown female, and she's not in the database already. That's why Garcia wasn't a suspect until you found the college connection. He only ever touched the rope." She took the rope back and laid it down on the table once more, looking up at Horatio and Yelina.

"I'm glad this part of it is your job," Yelina commented, and Stella and Horatio both chuckled. "But that makes sense."

"Just one thing," Horatio said, snapping his gloves back off. "Alexx found physical evidence at the scene and on the body that Clarissa Dawson had been raped by her attacker." Stella grinned, and Horatio rolled his eyes. "But, of course, you have an explanation for that as well, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Stella smirked, and Yelina raised her eyebrows, looking impressed. Stella picked up a manila folder from the table and opened it, turning it away from her. Horatio took it from her, scanning it briefly.

"The autopsy report?" he questioned. Stella smiled.

"I requested to see it," she explained. "I think your ME was a little insulted, actually – I think she thinks I don't trust her analysis. Anyway, she noted that the vaginal tears were caused by force, but not brute force, and there was minimal bruising. She also states in there that the physical evidence was slightly degraded, suggesting that the rape occurred four to six hours before the murder. Now, the conclusion was that she threatened to call the police, and her attacker got scared and came back to silence her. But what if it wasn't a rape? The semen collected matches Romero Garcia's DNA, and if we stick with my theory, then he didn't kill her."

"So you think the sex was consensual?" Horatio asked, still skimming over Alexx's findings.

"I think he and Clarissa Dawson were in a relationship," she confirmed. "The suggestion that both her rape and murder occurred up to six hours apart but were committed by the same man, doesn't sit right with me. Why bother waiting? He must have known she would call the police, and if he wanted to kill her, he would have done it on the spot. I think Romero Garcia and Clarissa Dawson had sexual relations hours before she set out to kill our unknown female, and it just got a little rough. The lack of bruising corroborates that. So if they were involved, it also explains what he was doing back at her house just after she was murdered."

"He was coming to see her," Yelina said softly.

"Exactly. He walked in just in time to find her dead body. He was distraught and angry to find Clarissa dead. It was a crime of passion; revenge for the woman he cared about."

"It's certainly a very viable theory," Horatio agreed, surprised that none of his team had thought of it. Then again, he reasoned with himself, they hadn't known about the third set of DNA until they had examined the rope, and that task had still been waiting. The rest of the team had been busy with other cases and evidence from the scene.

"It also explains something that was bothering me," Yelina commented. He looked at her questioningly, and she elaborated. "Garcia. When we interviewed him, he seemed very suspicious, like he was hiding something, and yet his body language said he was telling the truth when he insisted he hadn't killed Clarissa."

"Because he didn't," Horatio said, nodding. "He was nervous because he knew he was guilty of murder, just not the one he was being accused of."

"So that's it. We have him," Yelina said, but he shook his head.

"No," he said, frowning. "This is an extremely feasible scenario, but it might not hold up in court. It won't be the only way to explain the DNA and the trace. We have to find the body of our unknown female."

"I can tell you she was a brunette," Stella chipped in. "Your ME found a hair on Clarissa Dawson's body that didn't belong to our blonde victim. It must have transferred during the struggle."

"I'll run a search through missing persons," Yelina said. "Female brunettes with any known connection to Clarissa Dawson or Romero Garcia."

"Keep me posted," Horatio told her. She nodded and excused herself, presumably heading back to the PD. Horatio turned back to Stella, looking at her thoughtfully, and she caught his eye. She frowned a little.

"What?" she asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Just thinking," he said with a smile.

"About?" she prompted him. He straightened up, not lifting his gaze from her.

"About how incredibly lucky we are to have you here," he explained. She smiled bashfully, and he also smiled, looking at the ground.

"Glad to be here," she assured him. Right at that moment, his pager beeped. He rolled his eyes and looked down at it, discovering that Calleigh needed him in Ballistics.

"I have to go," he said.

"Go," Stella nodded. "I'll work on a DNA profile for our unknown female and see if I can't find out anything else that might help us ID her."

"I'd appreciate that," he agreed. "I'll meet you back here at four, if I don't see you before then. If you get bored, feel free to take off."

"Bored? Never," she teased. "I'll see you then." He nodded and left the room, heading downstairs, smiling to himself. It seemed that Yelina and Stella would be able to be friends after all, and that cheered him up. He knew he still had two very difficult conversations to have, but they could wait. For now, things were settled, and he would enjoy it while it lasted.

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**A/N: All right, so that's it for the time being. As I said at the end of the previous chapter, I really would appreciate hearing your thoughts on this fic after my long break, and I'm hoping to get back to you soon with more. Thanks for sticking with me!**

**Alison xx**

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	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** Still not mine - shocking, isn't it? Because if they were, then CLEARLY I'd be writing fanfiction instead of sunning myself on a beach somewhere ...  
**A/N:** Sorry for the delay .. again. Life is hectic, and I have several fics on the go at once, so I have to just write whichever one I'm inspired for at the time, and this one has been harder to get myself back into than the others. I am working on it, however slowly, if anyone out there is still interested, though. Please let me know what you think, as only getting one review for 2 chapters made me consider just stopping altogether. I don't like bribery, but this is the truth - I probably won't post more unless I get a few reviews, as I see no point if nobody reads it. However, if anyone still is interested, then I'll keep going. Thanks :)

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"What are your feelings on Hawaii?" Yelina turned, surprised, and found Rick standing behind her desk, a holiday brochure in hand. He dropped it on the table in front of her, looking hopeful. She half-smiled.

"I was more thinking somewhere in-state," she commented. "This is expensive."

"It's my treat," Rick insisted. "I hate that we've been fighting, Yelina, and I know a lot of it's been my fault. I want to apologise, and this is my way of saying … well, I'm sorry. I don't want you to think I don't trust you, because I do. It's just that your whole family situation is a little more complicated than I'm accustomed to, and I guess it's taken some getting used to. But I'm trying. I just want us to have some quality time together, alone. Somewhere romantic. So what do you say?"

Yelina bit her lip. She didn't know quite how to tell him that her honeymoon had been in Honolulu. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, or cause another argument, especially when he was being so sweet to her. Yet she also knew that going to Hawaii with him would feel like she was betraying Raymond's memory, somehow. It was one of those situations she hated being in – she couldn't comfortably say yes, and she couldn't bring herself to say no. But then, it had been a **very** long time since she had been there – the place would probably have changed a lot, anyway. And it was incredibly nice of Rick to do this for her. Who was she to hurt him like that?

"It sounds wonderful," she said, forcing a smile. "And very sweet – thank you."

"You deserve it," he replied, leaning over and kissing the top of her head. She smiled a little as she thought of spending a weekend on the beach, far away from work and from her worries about Horatio. It couldn't hurt, surely?

"Have you looked at flights?" she asked him, and he grinned a little bashfully.

"They're ready to book," he admitted, and she laughed. "Just a click of a mouse, and we're all set. The hotel's right on the beach, five-star, and we'll have the full weekend. We can fly out on Friday evening at six-thirty, and fly home at eleven on Sunday night."

"Perfect," she smiled, meaning it. It really did sound amazing. "Book it."

"You're sure?"

"Positive," she insisted, and Rick beamed.

"I'll go do it now," he said. "I'll see you after work, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed, and he kissed her quickly again and left, grinning like a child on Christmas morning. She laughed softly after him. He was adorable, really. She was very lucky to have him. If she could just put Horatio from her mind, she was sure that she and Rick could be very happy together. And Horatio could have Stella, too.

And he **would** have Stella, Yelina was sure. Because no matter what he said about there being no relationship outside of friendship, she could tell that they were close; closer than she had ever known Horatio to be with anybody. She had gone into the lab with him out of a professional interest in the case, but she had also wanted to see how smart this Stella Bonasera really was. And as it turned out, she was very impressive. And she had joked with Horatio without second thought, and they had just … fitted. It hurt Yelina deeply to see how well they worked together, both professionally and personally, but at least she knew now exactly where she stood. And she had been able to feel happiness for him. As much as she wished things could be different, she knew in her heart that they couldn't be, and if she couldn't have him, she wanted him to be happy. Stella seemed to make him happy, so how could she complain? She had vowed to make an effort with the woman for as long as she was around, both for Horatio and Ray's sakes. She would have to accept Stella as a part of their lives sooner or later, and she didn't want there to be any resentment that would risk alienating Horatio. Nothing was worth that.

"Yelina?" _Speak of the devil._ Yelina turned her swivel chair, plastering a smile on her face as she looked up into Stella's face. She gestured vaguely with her hand, but Stella seemed to understand, pulling up a chair and sitting down.

"This is a surprise," Yelina said, attempting to sound casual, and Stella nodded somewhat apologetically.

"Yeah, I'm sorry for just dropping in like this," she said. "I didn't know the number, and I was hardly going to ask Horatio for it, so … here I am."

"Here you are," Yelina echoed, watching the other woman curiously. She didn't seem to be here to make a threat, but she didn't seem overly friendly either. She wondered what was going on, in that case. "What can I do for you, Stella?"

"I just want to talk," Stella assured her, and Yelina smiled a little.

"That's some small relief, I suppose," she joked feebly, and Stella half-smiled.

"Look, I'm not here as Horatio's friend. I'm not here as yours, either. I'm just here to set things straight between us, woman to woman. I figure Horatio never needs to know about my being here today, if it's all the same to you."

"You've got my interest."

"I know you think I'm dating Horatio," Stella said bluntly. Yelina raised her eyebrows. _So much for small talk_, she thought. "It doesn't take a genius to work out why you were so cool towards me when we first met. And that's okay. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably feel the same."

"And how exactly do you think I feel?" Yelina asked, fighting to keep her tone even.

"I'm not accusing you of anything, Yelina," the other woman said quietly. "I wasn't suggesting that you felt jealous. More … betrayed." Yelina froze. "Yeah, I thought as much. I know Horatio's kept a lot of secrets from you, and that must hurt. I guess when you thought he had a secret love, it made you feel even more out of the loop. Believe me, I get it. But I can promise you, there is nothing going on between Horatio and me. He's a good man and a better friend, and I'm lucky to have him in my life. I guess we're pretty close because we live far apart. We can talk to one another freely. We just have a lot in common, Yelina. We … I don't know, I guess you could say we bonded, when we first met. And I'm glad we did. He and I are so similar that we really understand each other, you know? It's more of a brother/sister thing than anything else, and it is most certainly **not** a romantic attachment."

"Horatio has already given me the party line," Yelina interrupted, finally having had enough. She hated being lied to, and she didn't need to be patronised. "If that's all you came here to do, then you can consider your work done."

"It's not a party line. That's why I'm here. To promise you, as a fellow woman, that what Horatio has told you is the truth. If he and I were involved, don't you think I'd be here staking my claim? I just want him to be happy, and I know he won't be if you're angry with him. I'm here to help a friend." She sat back in her chair, seeming satisfied that her point was made. Yelina sighed.

"I'm sorry," she said finally. "What you've said … it makes sense. I can relate to it."

"That's how you and Horatio were when you first met, isn't it?" Stella asked softly, and Yelina started. How was it that this total stranger could see what Rick couldn't?

"How, how did you –?"

"It's written all over your face," Stella smiled. "He told me you're his best friend. I can only assume that you feel that too, or you wouldn't be so close. And you wouldn't feel so let down by him for lying, if you didn't care to begin with. Besides, he was your husband's brother. It's only natural that you'd come to feel close to him too."

"I did," Yelina confessed, barely even disturbed by the fact that she was about to spill her innermost emotions to someone she barely knew, and she had been determined to dislike not so long ago. "I mean, I do. He's been there for me for longer than anyone else has. I can't imagine my life without him in it. And he's been like a father to Ray Junior – that's my son. I've trusted him more than anybody for years. I always thought he trusted me too. It's just … it's hard, sometimes, to realise a relationship means more to you than to the other person. It's like being back with Raymond all over again." She couldn't believe she had just admitted this, and yet it didn't worry her. She knew somehow that Stella wouldn't tell Horatio, or anyone else, what she had said.

"I know what you mean," Stella said with a sad sort of smile. "You always expect things to be mutual without ever wondering if they are or not. But, for what it's worth, I am one hundred percent sure that it **is** mutual between Horatio and you. I think he kept things from you out of a very Horatio-esque desire to protect you. Maybe it wasn't right, but he thought he was doing the best thing for everyone."

"Including himself, right?"

"I don't think so. Look, this … this isn't really the place for this, is it?"

"No, I suppose it isn't," Yelina agreed, looking around her and hoping nobody had overheard their conversation thus far.

"When are you due a break?" Stella asked, and Yelina glanced at the clock.

"I could take one now and work through the rest of my shift," she answered, doing the calculations mentally. Stella shrugged.

"Well, I'm not asking you to do that," she said, but Yelina shook her head, reaching for her jacket. She wanted to finish this conversation sooner rather than later.

"You didn't ask," she said firmly. "Frank!" He glanced up from a paper. "I'm taking twenty just now, okay? When I come back I'll work straight through to make it up." He nodded silently to indicate his permission, and Yelina got to her feet, closely followed by Stella. "I know somewhere we can get a coffee."

"Sounds good," Stella agreed. Yelina nodded slightly and led the way from the precinct, unsure whether she was expected to make conversation. She felt oddly comfortable with this woman, as though she could talk to her about anything in the world and it would be their secret. At the same time, however, she was acutely aware of the fact that this was one of Horatio's closest friends, if not more, and she couldn't be entirely sure that she could trust her yet. It made it hard to know what to do. Luckily, Stella took the decision out of her hands.

"So, have you ever been to New York?"

"No," Yelina said, surprised at how casually Stella had slipped into small talk, given the serious conversation they had been having. "I've always wanted to go, but somehow the timing never seemed right. When Horatio worked there, Raymond didn't want to go near the place – sibling rivalry, I think. And before that I felt I was too young, and then I had Ray Junior … life always stopped me."

"Well, you should definitely visit," Stella said seriously. "It's my favourite place in the whole world. You'll never get the same mix of culture, society and character anywhere else that I've ever been. No two days are the same, you know? One day you'll be investigating a Bronx-bred single mother's suicide, and the next you'll be pressing charges against Manhattan royalty for robbing Bloomingdale's. I mean, I know that in our line of work, the same can be said for everywhere, including Miami, but New York's got it's own kind of … I don't know. I guess it's just so unique. I mean, you look at Florida PD and then California, and they're so similar. Manhattan's in its own sphere altogether. It's exciting."

"Wow." Yelina stopped just outside the small coffee place to look at Stella. Her eyes were shining and she was smiling, as though just talking about her hometown had made her come alive. It was amazing. "I've never met anybody so passionate about their city."

"I love it," Stella said simply, grinning. "Honestly, Yelina, I know all you ever hear about New York is the bad publicity – gang violence, shootings, underprivileged schooling – but it's not all like that, not even close. And the areas like Queens and the Bronx aren't all underprivileged, either. People aren't rich, but they don't need to be. I grew up as an inner-city kid, and I loved it. My family were a foster family, and the area was a classic suburb, but we were happy. The whole neighbourhood was one big family. There's nothing like it. If you've always wanted to go, then go. I'd be more than glad to show you around, and I can personally guarantee you, it's worth seeing."

"Well with a sales pitch like that, how could I refuse?" Yelina replied with a smile, opening the door and leading Stella to the counter. "What do you take in your coffee?"

"Just coffee, straight," she replied, and Yelina nodded.

"Black coffee," she said to the young woman behind the counter. "And a latte, please." She then took Stella over to an empty table and sat down while they waited for their coffees.

"You know, I always wanted to learn Spanish," Stella mused, stretching her legs out. "It's one of my favourite languages. And it would be useful here, I can imagine."

"You never got around to it?" Yelina asked.

"French," Stella said, rolling her eyes. "Fat lot of use that turned out to be. I thought I'd dare to be different. And there's Greek, too, obviously."

"Did you ever live in Greece?" Yelina accepted their coffees and paid the waitress.

"No," Stella said, half-smiling. "My parents moved here about two years before I was born, as far as I know, but I still have family over there. I don't really get to see them very often. Besides, it's difficult, you know? I didn't know my parents, so being raised in a foster home made it hard to keep my roots. I mean, I've always tried, but it just gets …"

"Complicated?" Yelina offered with a smile, handing over the other woman's coffee. Stella laughed a little and raised her mug.

"Exactly," she replied. "I think we're on the same page there."

"I'll drink to that." Yelina clinked her mug against Stella's raised one and they each took a sip, both smiling. She slowly lowered her mug. Stella caught her eye and frowned slightly.

"What is it?" she asked. Yelina bit her lip.

"Why are you here, Stella?" she queried. "I know you're escorting Darius and visiting Horatio, but what are you talking to me for? You don't have to do any of this, and he's already explained himself to me once. What's in it for you?" Stella's brow creased further as she sat back in her chair, never lifting her gaze from Yelina. She had the unpleasant sensation that Stella was trying to read her thoughts.

"Horatio may have tried to explain himself to you," she said slowly, "but I don't think he quite knows how to do it, when he's so confused himself. He still thinks he's done the right thing by trying to protect you, so while he can understand your anger, he has trouble apologising for it. He's not really sorry, and he thinks that if he admits that, you'll take it the wrong way. You know he's not the best with words. I guess I'm here because I'm an objective observer, if you like, and I can see where you're both coming from. He really was trying to do the right thing, and that was sweet of him. But at the same time you're totally justified in feeling betrayed and hurt. It's hard for either of you to fully appreciate the situation the other is in. I suppose I just wanted to try to show you things from my point of view, so that maybe you two could come to some sort of a truce. And he's my friend. I don't like seeing him hurt – and hurting you **has** hurt him, Yelina, trust me. Aside from that, it's plain as day that you're hurt, and only part of that is his fault. You're not exactly making it any easier on yourself by cutting yourself off from him. I don't like to see anyone suffer unnecessarily."

"So what is it you're asking me to do?" Yelina asked, taking a larger than necessary gulp of coffee in order to steady herself. Stella may not have realised it, but she was really hitting home with her assessment of the situation.

"I'm asking you to cut Horatio, and yourself, a bit of slack," Stella said evenly. "This isn't any easier on him than it is on you, whether you fully realise that or not. Just … just don't blame him for making a mistake. He made it with the best of intentions. And I don't think it's healthy for either of you to carry on this feud."

"It's hardly a feud. I just don't think it's very easy to go back to the way things were."

"Maybe not. But it's usually easy enough to try. We're often just too stubborn to realise that, and sometimes need a little push."

"So you're the pusher?"

"I'm a friend," Stella said simply, shrugging. "I may hardly know you, but I can see why Horatio cares about you. His happiness is important to me, but I wouldn't push this if I thought it would make you miserable. I just think you could both use some perspective."

"No wonder he finds it so easy to talk to you," Yelina said, speaking almost to herself. Stella raised a questioning eyebrow, and Yelina elaborated. "You're very wise, Stella. You seem to be able to read people well. And it's obvious you really do care about other people's feelings. I think you're very good for him. He won't talk to me, so I'm glad he can open up to somebody … and for the record, I'm glad it's you."

"Well, for the record, I think he wishes it were you sometimes," Stella answered. "He wants to talk to you, Yelina, but he's too protective for his own good. He really is his own worst enemy, in every sense of the word."

"That much I knew already."

"Well, I just want to help in any way I can. Horatio's been there for me a lot, even if he doesn't realise just how much he does for me. It's about time I returned the favour."

"You're a good friend," Yelina told the other woman gently. "He's very lucky. And, uh … I know that you both insist there's nothing romantic going on between you –"

"Because it's the truth," Stella began earnestly, but Yelina carried on.

"– and I believe you," she finished calmly. "I don't know why, but something tells me that you're telling the truth. You're an honest person, and most of the time, so is Horatio. I do know that he's only lied to me when he felt like he had no choice, and I don't see why he would feel that way about you. I do believe that you're just friends. But if you ever did decide to pursue something … more, then, I would support that. As I said, I really do think you're good for him, and it seems that you both care equally for each other, so I assume he's good for you too. So, if there ever were something romantic between you, you would have my blessing. We're not so different, Stella."

"We're not?" the other woman asked, looking interested. Yelina shook her head.

"No, we're not," she repeated. "We both want the same thing, at the end of the day. I'm just like you are, really. I just want him to be happy, and it seems that you make him happy. I'm grateful to you for that."

"That's funny," Stella commented, half-smiling. "I was going to say the same to you."

Yelina raised her eyebrows, surprised, but Stella just took another drink of coffee. It was strange to think that they both had such similar wishes and yet such opposite views. Stella seemed to think that Yelina was the one who made Horatio happy, and that she was merely an observer; a friend who was there to support him. Yelina had presumed it was more the case that Horatio was happy with Stella, and that she ought to find a way to be happy for him in that case. It seemed they might both be right after all, and that only confused her further. Had she really only been hurting Horatio of late? She had tried to give him space to be with Madison without feeling that he was rubbing her face in it, and he had seemed to accept it willingly. But had he really been staying away because he thought **he** was hurting **her** by being around so much? Did he think she was pushing him away because he didn't make her happy? Her head spun with all the questions.

"I, uh, I'd better get back to work," she said, shaking herself. "This has been very … enlightening, Stella, and I appreciate you coming down to see me. You've really helped me, and I'll be glad to work with you while you're here. I hope I'll see a lot of you."

"I'd like that," Stella agreed as they both stood up and made their way out. "Thanks for taking the time to speak to me. I was worried I might be overstepping the mark, you know? Sticking my nose in where I shouldn't. I have a tendency to be a tad overzealous when it comes to trying to help people."

"You've been wonderful," Yelina assured her. Stella smiled.

"I'm just glad I could help," she said, and Yelina could tell the sentiment was genuine. "I, uh … I don't know if this is maybe pushing my luck, but would you like to have dinner tonight? I'm eating at Horatio's, and I think your son's coming over too …"

"I'm meeting my boyfriend after work," Yelina said quietly, and Stella nodded in understanding. "But thank you. Why don't the four of us go out tomorrow night instead? We can all have a chance to talk. I'll send Ray to my mom's."

"Sounds good," Stella grinned. "I'll see you around, then." They had stopped outside of the Police Department, and Stella hailed a passing cab. Yelina smiled back at her.

"That you will," she agreed. "See you later, Stella."

"See you."

Stella got into the car and it pulled away, leaving Yelina standing on the sidewalk. She stood there for a moment, mulling over the strange but interesting conversation, and thinking about her relationship with Horatio. It seemed that perhaps she hadn't overestimated his regard for it, or her, after all. It gave her a good feeling. She couldn't help smiling to herself as she made her way back to her desk, where she found half a dozen fresh files to be dealt with. _Paperwork – her favourite_, she thought sarcastically, dumping her bag and jacket and settling to what promised to be a long, boring stint of work. But not even that could dampen her mood. Everything seemed a lot less serious now, and she felt refreshed after her coffee, too. She was really glad Stella had come down – not just from the Crime Lab, but come to Miami in general. Yelina had the feeling that things were going to change as a result of her being here, and she just hoped they were for the better. However, she was jolted out of these thoughts by her phone ringing. She sat down her pen and picked it up.

"Detective Salas," she said into the receiver.

"Mom?"

"Hi honey," she said with a smile, her mood brightening even more. If there was one thing guaranteed to make her happy, it was her son. "Are you at Grandma's?"

"Yeah … Mom, is Rick coming over tonight?"

"Yes, I'll be seeing him," Yelina confirmed. "But Uncle Horatio offered to have you for dinner, if that's okay with you."

"Yeah!" She smiled at the enthusiasm in Ray's voice. "But, uh … when I come home, will Rick still be there?"

"I don't know, honey – he might be. Why?"

"Can you ask him not to be?" Yelina sat up straighter, frowning.

"What's the matter, Ray?" she asked. On the other end of the line, her son took a deep breath.

"I just want to talk to you about something, Mom," he said slowly. "Without Rick. I don't want him to know about it. It's about … about fishing with Uncle Horatio. Kind of."

"I told you, honey, you don't have to go if you don't want to."

"But I do," Ray confessed, and Yelina furrowed her brow in confusion. "I want to, but I was scared to tell you that, and … can we just talk later, Mom? I don't want to talk about it on the phone."

"All right," she agreed, anxiety setting in. "All right, I will set aside the entire evening from eight thirty until bedtime just for us, okay? How does that sound?"

"Good," he said, sounding relieved. "Thanks, Mom."

"Sure. I'd better get back to work, Ray – I love you."

"Love you too. Bye." Yelina half-smiled to herself as she heard the click on the line, before setting down her own receiver. She was worried about Ray, but whatever was bothering him, she at least knew he was going to open up about it that night. It was certainly a weight off her shoulders. She sat the file she had been scribbling on aside, ready to hand to Frank at the end of the day, and lifted another. The Dawson case. She double-clicked on the minimized window on her computer screen containing the Missing Persons Database, and sighed to herself as she discovered there were still no hits. But, it was scanning. It was a start.

"Yelina, do you have Andersen's report on that suicide from last week?" one of her colleagues called out. She stood up, leaning over to the back of her desk and pulling the file in question from a pile waiting to be signed.

"Here." She passed the folder over, and Jerry nodded and smiled.

"Thanks," he said, heading back to his own desk. Yelina sat down again, and noticed that she had dislodged a photo in the pile, presumably from inside another folder. She cursed internally. Now she would have to go through each individual file, looking for the one it matched with. She tugged the crinkled photo out from the pile, expecting it to be the face of a missing victim, and was stunned to find her late husband's face smiling back at her. Raymond grinned up at the camera, his two-year-old son balanced on his lap with his birthday cake in front of him, the two candles slightly out of focus. But Ray Junior wasn't interested in his cake. His eyes were fixed upon his father, utter devotion shining in them as he stared up at his idol. Yelina found her hands were shaking all of a sudden, and she dropped the picture, bringing her hands up to support her head instead. What was she doing?


End file.
